Essay on Vocational Education for Students and Children

500 words essay on vocational education.

It refers to a skill-based program that enables students to obtain knowledge, training, and practical skills of a specific trade. It is often referred to as technical or career education as it helps students develop skills in a particular discipline. In addition, they focus more on application-based training rather than theoretical knowledge.

Besides, diverse job functions from various sectors such as food and beverages, computer network cosmetology, banking and finance, tourism, skilled trades, and healthcare, etc. include vocational training.

Essay on Vocational Education

Source: NIOS

Benefits of Vocational Training

The vocational training has many benefits not only for an individual but also for the nation. Furthermore, some benefits of vocational training are:

Job-ready – This training makes a person job-ready and students can directly get a job after completing their studies. In addition, it provides students the required set of skills and training for various jobs such as fashion designers, computer networking, interior designing and many more. Also, it makes the person skilled and ready for the job of their respective fields.

Low Education Cost – The fees of these courses are quite economic and anyone can easily afford to pay for them. Moreover, they are an easy alternative for those students who do not want to opt for a 3-year degree course. Many of these vocational courses are as good as degree courses and offer employment quickly. Besides, they are best for those students who cannot afford the cost of the degree course.

Career advancement – They are also the best alternative for those people who have a job and want to acquire new skills. Also, the duration of these courses is quite less compared to the degree courses but the set of skills taught is quite useful and important.

Besides, it is quite effective for a professional to improve the prospect of their career. In addition, dropouts and students who are less interested in academic studies can choose from a range of diverse courses in their field of interest.

Economic Development – The demand for skilled professionals in the various sector is growing day by day in the world. In addition, the existence of skilled manpower is beneficial to society as well as the economy of developing nations. With this, the need for importing manpower from other nation is also reduced.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Growing Need for Vocational Education

The development of nations requires skilled manpower and vocational education prepares them for the job. Also, the demand for skilled labor has increased manifold in both the business and government sectors. Furthermore, over the year the vocational education has diversified immensely.

Moreover, vocational courses come as a surprise package as students get the opportunity to enhance and get trained to improve their natural talents and skills. Besides, they become highly successful in their field and fetch good packages.

In conclusion, the students who complete these courses are better at a job than those who only receive an academic education. Also, it is an asset of the country that helps the economy to develop and grow. In addition, there is a high demand for these skilled people in both the government and the business sector. Above all, it benefits students, society, nation, and employers.

FAQs about Essay on Vocational Education

Q.1 How vocational education is different from traditional education? A.1 In traditional education the main emphasis is on teaching and learning of theoretical materials. But vocational education emphasizes on learning and teaching of practical knowledge. Also, vocational education makes the person job-ready.

Q.2 Who is the father of vocational education? A.2 Charles Allen Prosser is known as the father of vocational education. His aim was to improve the education system of the country which later reforms the world.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

tutor

  • Travelling Essay
  • Picnic Essay
  • Our Country Essay
  • My Parents Essay
  • Essay on Favourite Personality
  • Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
  • Essay on Knowledge is Power
  • Essay on Gurpurab
  • Essay on My Favourite Season
  • Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Google Play

Logo

Essay on Importance of Vocational Education

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Vocational Education in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Vocational Education

Introduction.

Vocational education, also known as technical education, is crucial in today’s world. It provides practical skills and knowledge, making individuals job-ready.

Why Vocational Education

Vocational education is essential as it equips students with specific skills for particular jobs. This type of education bridges the gap between education and employment.

Benefits of Vocational Education

Vocational education offers hands-on training, making learning more engaging. It also increases employability, as industries often seek people with practical skills.

In conclusion, vocational education plays a vital role in creating a skilled workforce. It’s a valuable alternative to traditional academic paths.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Vocational Education

Vocational education, also known as technical education, plays a crucial role in the global economy. It equips individuals with practical skills and knowledge, enabling them to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving job market.

The Necessity of Vocational Education

In the face of technological advancements, the labor market is shifting towards skill-based jobs. Vocational education bridges the gap between academic theory and practical application, fostering a workforce that is adept at handling real-world challenges.

Economic Impact

Vocational education has a profound impact on the economy. It reduces unemployment rates by providing skill-based training, which in turn boosts productivity and economic growth. Moreover, it fosters entrepreneurship, stimulating the creation of new businesses and job opportunities.

Social Impact

Vocational education also has significant social implications. It promotes social inclusion by providing equal opportunities for all, regardless of their academic backgrounds. Furthermore, it empowers individuals, fostering self-reliance and financial independence.

In conclusion, vocational education is an essential component of any education system. It equips individuals with practical skills, thereby enabling them to thrive in the modern job market. Its economic and social impacts underscore its importance and necessity in today’s world.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Vocational Education

Vocational education, also known as technical education, has gained significant attention in today’s rapidly evolving job market. It is an education that directly prepares individuals for a specific trade, craft, or career, offering a practical alternative to traditional academic paths. This essay will delve into the importance of vocational education, highlighting its benefits and its potential impact on the future workforce.

The Need for Vocational Education

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, the demand for specialized skills increases. Traditional education systems, while essential, often fall short in providing the specific skills required by many industries. Vocational education bridges this gap, offering students the opportunity to acquire expertise directly relevant to their chosen fields. It equips students with practical skills and knowledge, enabling them to meet the demands of the job market effectively.

Vocational education offers several advantages over conventional academic routes. Firstly, it provides a faster pathway to employment. Through hands-on training and internships, students can gain real-world experience, making them job-ready upon graduation. This practical approach not only makes learning more engaging but also increases the likelihood of employment.

Secondly, vocational education promotes entrepreneurship. By teaching specific trades, it empowers individuals to start their own businesses, fostering innovation and economic growth. It cultivates a culture of self-reliance and creativity, which is crucial in today’s competitive business landscape.

Vocational Education and the Future Workforce

The significance of vocational education extends beyond individual benefits. It plays a vital role in shaping the future workforce. As industries evolve, the need for specialized skills grows. Vocational education, with its emphasis on practical skills, ensures a steady supply of skilled workers, capable of adapting to the changing demands of the job market.

Moreover, vocational education can help address social issues such as unemployment and income inequality. By providing affordable, accessible education, it opens up opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds, promoting social mobility and economic equality.

In conclusion, vocational education is a critical component of a balanced education system. It offers a practical alternative to traditional academic paths, providing students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s dynamic job market. By fostering entrepreneurship and preparing students for the future workforce, vocational education plays a key role in driving economic growth and social progress. Its importance cannot be overstated, and it deserves more recognition and support from policymakers, educators, and society at large.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

  • Essay on Importance of Sex Education
  • Essay on Impact of Technology on Education
  • Essay on Future Education Challenges

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

  • We're Hiring!
  • Help Center

paper cover thumbnail

Philosophy as (Vocational) Education

Profile image of James  Garrison

1990, Educational Theory

Related Papers

in *Teaching in Unequal Societies*, edited by John Russon, Siby K. George and Pravesh Jung. New Delhi: Bloomsbury, 2020, pp 3-21.

John Russon

Drawing on Dewey's *Democracy and Education*, I argue that education is meaningful only when it is engaged with the existential demands of the life of the student. In this context, I argue both for the importance of having a university curriculum that is culturally diverse and for the importance of preserving the study the tradition of Western philosophy within that curriculum.

vocation education essay

Of enduring interest to philosophers of education is the intimate connection Dewey draws between Democracy and Education in this now century-old seminal work. At first glance the connection may appear quite simple, with the two terms commonly combined today as 'democratic education'. But there is significantly more to Dewey's connection between democracy and education than 'democratic education' suggests. Evidence for this greater depth can be seen in Dewey's choice of subtitle for his text: an introduction to the philosophy of education. In this article I illuminate some of the further riches Dewey offered to understanding democracy and education, central to which is his theorization of 'occupations' as this aligns with his attempts to articulate a 'coherent theory of experience'. As with democracy and education, the educational import of occupations cannot be captured with a mere combination of terms as in 'vocational education'. In both cases we are simply appending an adjective to education, which Dewey found problematic. What we need, he argued, is a sense of education 'pure and simple' with 'no qualifying adjectives prefixed'. An existential consideration of occupations enables just that, wherein occupations define the functional unities of life, the character of social groupings, the ways in which growth is arranged. As such they provide us with new ways of conceptualizing the structure of schools and the nature of learning. Here, democracy and education come together in a much more fundamental sense as expressions of life.

casestudies journal

The dialectic between the subject matter and method is prominent in Dewey's educational thought. Dewey defines subject matter as the facts and materials observed, recalled, read, and talked about in the curriculum. He refers to method as the techniques, strategies and logical processes and procedures put in place to facilitate learning. This paper discusses two important aspects; Firstly, mastery of the subject matter is necessary for good teaching and secondly, the dialectic between subject matter and method. From the Aristotelian theory of hylemorphism, the subject matter is perceived as matter and method is form. With the argument that matter cannot be conceived without form, this article argues that mastery of the subject matter and methodology of teaching are inseparable values in any pedagogic process. On the basis of the subject matter, the argument goes that " you cannot give what you do not have " (Nemo dat quod non habet). However, every subject matter requires a " modus operandi " , which refers to the techniques of teaching and the skills of facilitating learning. Consequently, mastery of the subject matter is not sufficient for good teaching. Every teacher requires skills and techniques of teaching and these values have implications in the training and recruitment of teachers.

Megan Mustain

charm verra

Mohammed zeinu Hassen

This paper on John Dewey, a leading educator of the twentieth century, examines his pedagogical ideas and works, which helped to shape teaching-learning practice. In the areas of education, politics, humanism, logic, and aesthetics, Dewey's contributions are enormous and overpowering. This paper will center on Dewey's educational theory, pedagogical concerns, and the connections he established between education, democracy, experience, and society. The child is at the center of his educational philosophy. Dewey's concept of humanism stems from his democratic leanings and search for liberty, justice, and the worth of a child's experience.

academia.edu

Yulius R U S T A N Effendi

This paper discusses the concepts that underlie the relationship between philosophy and education. A wide variety of questions were used to determine the role of philosophy for education.

Dakmara Georgescu

RELATED PAPERS

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

Cristina Campoy

Translational Research in Veterinary Science

Chandra Pareek

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Shouling He

Aleksander R. Bańka

Deickson Lennon Galvão de Souza

Journal of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences

Shila Nayebifar

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

Frederic Collart

Yatim piatu

Yatim piantu Terdekat bintaro

European Journal of Integrative Medicine

Beverley de Valois

Chrístopher Gambini Martínez

Biosystems Engineering

Marysa Neri Velazquez

vidya gupta

Vietnamese Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

ritesh patel

Historische Zeitschrift

Philipp Scheibelreiter

Microwave and Optical Technology Letters

Jean-daniel Arnould

International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems

Amor OUNISSI

Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research

Syaiful Eddy

Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter

Altaf Karim

Nature communications

Elisa MOLINARI

La innovación docente como misión del profesorado : Congreso Internacional Sobre Aprendizaje, Innovación y Competitividad

María José Luesma Bartolome

Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine

Anthony Pilny

RELATED TOPICS

  •   We're Hiring!
  •   Help Center
  • Find new research papers in:
  • Health Sciences
  • Earth Sciences
  • Cognitive Science
  • Mathematics
  • Computer Science
  • Academia ©2024

Book cover

Reflections on Life in Higher Education pp 61–77 Cite as

Teaching as Vocation: Reflections and Advice

  • Lori L. Lohman  

197 Accesses

So you’ve decided to become a college professor. This means you get to dress up in ancient garb, smiling munificently during graduation at students about to embark on their rewarding careers and lives. And if you are lucky, you get to do this again, and again, and again—in my case, for over 25 years. Most of today’s students were not even roaming the planet when I began teaching, but despite the fact that I’m teaching a new generation wired to its various technological devices, some of the basic principles of what makes a successful professor haven’t changed. Technologies will come and go (anyone remember Betamax? How about reel-to-reel movie projectors?), but the thirst for knowledge will not—and that goes not only for students, but also for those of us trying to teach others what we already know and what we continue to learn. Ideally, people who teach college students do so because they consider it to be their vocation. I’m not referring to “Vocational Education,” which has its own, state-specific definition, but rather the lower case “vocational education,” or as John Dewey envisioned it, one’s life calling. This chapter is about how I found my life calling and how others can as well.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution .

Buying options

  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Unable to display preview.  Download preview PDF.

Archibald, R. E. & Feldman, D. H. (2011). Why does college cost so much? New York: Oxford University Press.

Google Scholar  

Baier, K., Hendricks, C., Warren Gorden, K., Hendricks, J.E., & Cochran, L. (2011). College students’ textbook reading, or not! American Reading Forum Annual Yearbook [Online], 31. Retrieved from http://www.americanread-ingforum.org /yearbook/11_yearbook/documents/BAIER%20ET%20AL%20PAPER.pdf

Bernstein, E. (October 2, 2012). Why we are so rude online. Wall Street Journal . Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com /news/articles/SB10000872396390444592404578030351784405148

Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin , 39 (1), 3–7.

Cicala, J. E. & Taran, Z. (2013). A student by any other name: Are institutions of higher education mis-labelling their target? In B. Vander Schee (Ed.) Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 3–7. Retrieved from http://www.mmaglobal.org /mma-fall-2013-conference-proceedings/

College Board Advocacy and Policy Center. (n.d.). Published tuition and fee and room and board charges, 2012–2013. Retrieved from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/college-pricing-2012-full-report-121203.pdf

comScore. (2011). It’s a social world: Top 10 need-to-knows about social networking and where it’s headed [White paper]. Retrieved from http://www.comscore.com /Insights/Presentations_and_Whitepapers/2011/it_is_a_social_world_top_10_need-to-knows_about_social_networking

D’Aloisio, A. (2006). Motivating students through awareness of the natural correlation between college learning and corporate work settings. College Teaching , 54 (Spring), 225–229.

Article   Google Scholar  

Lohman, L. L. (2003). Vocation journals and marketing careers. Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 93–94. Retrieved from http://www.mmaglobal.org /publications/Proceedings/2003-MMA-Fall-Educators-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Lohman, L. L. (2006). Student projects and motivation: Lessons from the field. In J. Cherry (Ed.) Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 26–27. Retrieved from http://www.mmaglobal.org /publications/Proceedings/2006-MMA-Fall-Educators-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Lohman, L. L. (2012). In defense of lectures. In B. Vander Schee (Ed.) Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 254–255. Retrieved from http://www.mmaglobal.org /publications/Proceedings/2012-MMA-Fall-Educators-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Lohman, L., Gerhardson, S., Thorsgard, G., Sorenson, A., & Grams, A. (2010). Faculty internships: Who is most interested? In B. Vander Schee (Ed.) Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 33–36. Retrieved from http://www.mmaglobal.org /publications/Proceedings/2010-MMA-Fall-Educators-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Lowman, J. (1990). Promoting motivation and learning. College Teaching , 38 (Fall), 136–139.

McGregor, D. M. (1957). The human side of enterprise. The Management Review , 46 (11), 22–28.

Perreault, W. D., Jr., Cannon, J. P., & McCarthy, E. J. (2014). Basic marketing (19th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Talbot, G. (1997). A grounded research perspective for motivating college students’ self-regulated learning behaviors: Preparing and gaining the cooperation, commitment of teachers. Washington, DC (ERIC Document Service No. 414788).

Wilson, R. (2012). Why are associate professors so unhappy? Chronicle of Higher Education , 58 (38), A3–A4.

Download references

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2016 Rick D. Saucier, Nora Ganim Barnes, Kimberley K. Folkers, Frederick B. Hoyt, Lisa M. Lindgren, Lori L. Lohman, Michael J. Messina, and Stephanie Jacobsen

About this chapter

Cite this chapter.

Lohman, L.L. (2016). Teaching as Vocation: Reflections and Advice. In: Reflections on Life in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137560452_5

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137560452_5

Publisher Name : Palgrave Macmillan, London

Print ISBN : 978-1-349-57083-6

Online ISBN : 978-1-137-56045-2

eBook Packages : Education Education (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

  • Publish with us

Policies and ethics

  • Find a journal
  • Track your research

Question and Answer forum for K12 Students

Vocational Education Essay

Vocational Education Essay | Essay on Vocational Education for Students and Children in English

Vocational Education Essay: Education is the fundamental right of every Indian citizen. It is an important pre-requisite for the progress of an individual and of the nation. Takshashila ajid Nalanda Universities were the earliest universities of India. In India, education is provided by both the Government and private sectors. Other than the primary and secondary education, vocational education is also catching up fast with today’s generation.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Vocational Education for Kids and Students in English

Given below are two essays in English for students and children about the topic of ‘Vocational Education’ in both long and short form. The first essay is a long essay on Vocational Education of 400-500 words. This long essay about Vocational Education is suitable for students of class 7, 8, 9 and 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants. The second essay is a short essay on Vocational Education of 150-200 words. These are suitable for students and children in class 6 and below.

Long Essay on Vocational Education 500 Words in English

Below we have given a long essay on Vocational Education of 500 words is helpful for classes 7, 8, 9 and 10 and Competitive Exam Aspirants. This long essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 7 to class 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants.

Vocational education refers to a system or course of study which prepares individuals for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities. The plethora of opportunities available in diverse fields today means that exams are not the end of the world. Gone are the days when students only opted for a traditional career in engineering or medical courses. Today, youngsters look for satisfaction in the jobs they do and thus they prefer to pursue a career or field of their interest.

Vocational education basically consists of practical courses through which one gains skills and expertise directly linked to a career in future. Moreover, with Indian economy expanding, different sectors are growing and so is the demand for professionals in various fields. Professions like hair cutting, fashion designing, jewellery designing, palmistry, salon, boutique, footwear designing, advertising, public relations, catering, interior designing, lighting, wedding planning, gift packing, candle making, card designing, toy making, paintings and flower making, bag designing, tourism industry, mobile and gadget repairing, music and dance, acting, nutrition and fitness industry, gym culture and many more, have witnessed a surge in demand by the people availing these services, and has resultantly pulled a large number of aspirants into these vocations.

Not only these professions offer umpteen opportunities and glorious career most of the time they do not require any major academic qualification. All that is needed, is the honed skill required for the profession, the enthusiasm to learn and the passionate desire to create something new and unique. Then sky becomes the limit. In fact, through hard work and creativity one can be far more successful and famous in the world than those pursuing the regular field of study. There are endless personalities who did not fare well in exams but by choosing the career of their own choice and working hard in the field they loved they have made a distinguished name for themselves. Pablo Picasso, Walt Disney, Shiamak Davar, Lata Mangeshkar, Bill Gates, Jawed Habib, Ritu Kumar, Sachin Tendulkar and many more have not pursued an academic career, yet are extremely successful today.

The growing demand of professionals has led to the opening up of institutes and training colleges to provide training for the same. While some promise excellent dance courses, others guarantee a perfect course in cooking. A formal vocational training follows a structured training programme and provides certificates, diplomas or degrees, recognised by State/Central Government or other reputed concerns; in-formal vocational training helps in acquiring some marketing expertise, which enables a person to pursue the profession of his/her choice.

The prescribed training also lays down standards in respect of syllabi, equipment, scales of accommodation, duration of courses and methods of training. It also conducts tests in various trade courses and lays down standards of proficiency required for passing the examination leading to the award of the certificate.

In 1976-77, the Vocational Education Programme (VEP), under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), was started in general education institutions. While Vocational Education is a part of formal education system and the courses are offered in school grades 11 and 12, Vocational Training is outside formal education system and is open to students who leave school anywhere from grades 8 to 12. The purpose of the programme is to enhance individual employability, reduce the mismatch between demand and supply of skilled manpower and provide an alternative for those pursuing higher education without particular interest or purpose.

Short Essay on Vocational Education 200 Words in English

Below we have given a short essay on Vocational Education is for Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This short essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 6 and below.

The All India Council for Vocational Education (AICVE), under MHRD, is responsible for planning, guiding and coordinating the programme at the national level. State Council for Vocational Education (SCVE) performs similar functions at the State Level. There is a need to focus on the skills for the informal sector as it is estimated that the largest share of new jobs in India is projected to come from the unorganised sector which employs up to 93% of the national workforce and produces 60% of GDP.

“Educate a woman, and you educate the whole family.”

With regard to women’s education, it can be said that educating or providing practical training to women can go a long way in making them independent. DGET (Directorate General of Employment and Training) launched Women’s Vocational Training Programme, which aimed at bringing more women as skilled employees in the organised sector. If all the sectors of India join hands in providing the different education patterns under one roof, it can boost India’s employment rates greatly. Vocational education will not only provide jobs, but give many a reason to live a worthy and independent life.

Vocational Education Essay

Vocational Education Essay Word Meanings for Simple Understanding

  • Plethora – overabundance, excess
  • Honed – to make more acute or effective, improve, perfect
  • Umpteen – innumerable, many
  • Enthusiasm – absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit, lively interest
  • Proficiency – ability, skill, competence purview – the range of operation, authority, control, concern etc
  • Employability- a person’s capability for gaining and maintaining employment
  • Boost – to increase, raise

EssayBanyan.com – Collections of Essay for Students of all Class in English

Essay on Vocational Education

Vocational education is a special learning course apart from normal studies, which aims to provide a better concept of learning to the students. It includes courses in various fields like healthcare, graphic, web designing, cinematography, electrician, artesian, computer programming, etc. It basically helps in making students learn things with a proper practical approach and training. It benefits the students by making them skilled and ready for jobs.

Short and Long Essays on Vocational Education in English

I hope these essays here will help you to better understand everything about Vocational Education .

Vocational Education Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) The education that aims to prepare students for jobs is termed as vocational education.

2) Vocational education provides more practical knowledge to the students.

3) It is also referred to as career-oriented technical education.

4) Vocational education helps students in opening more job opportunities.

5) Beautician, technicians, animation, etc are some examples of vocational education.

6) Vocational education is offered by many universities with fees less than academic education.

7) People of any age group can attain vocational knowledge.

8) Vocational knowledge is less successful due to a lack of awareness.

9) Vocational knowledge encourages entrepreneurship.

10) Government should promote vocational education to reduce unemployment.

Essay 1 (250 Words) – Vocational Education

Introduction

Vocational education can be called education which is job-oriented. Generally, we see that a person is completing the academic education and after the completion, search or opt for some job opportunities. Academic education is providing with a vast background of study which is theoretical and concept-based. Vocational education provides us with a more practical aspect for any of the vocational courses.

How Vocational Education helps us

Vocational education helps the student to become skilled in any discipline by learning and training process. There are many Universities offering various vocational courses. These courses help in the skill development of the student and make them ready for the jobs. We have often seen that many of the students are not willing to choose academic courses and thus vocational courses are helping them to escape from the vast academic course. They can learn the techniques and become trained in the field in which they desire to work.

Vocational education provides the nation with skilled manpower. Vocational education can be attained by a person at any age. The course fee is also less as compared to the academic or professional course. This provides a chance for the students to develop themselves in the fields which they are fond of. Secondly, they get a chance of improving their skills and get hired by different industries.

The vocational education courses must be emphasized by the government so that students can go for these courses and further build up their careers. Vocational education helps the country’s economy to boost up as it provides skilled manpower.

Essay 3 (400 Words) – Vocational Education: Need and Challenges

Vocational education is designed to make the students ready for jobs. It can also be called career education. It basically focuses on the skill development and practical aspect of any discipline.

The need for Vocational Education

Vocational education makes a student ready for a job or we can say it helps in producing skilled people. It is seen that many of the students go through a financial crisis and they need to earn for the survival of their family. The academic courses are having a vast curriculum as also do not favor skill development and a larger practical approach. And the vocational courses provide better skill development in the required field and make them eligible for jobs.

The students who are not interested in doing the academic programs are compelled to study and for degrees in the colleges and complete the academic course. These students instead of just blocking the seats or studying without any interest can opt for vocational programs. They can join the course of their interest. The maximum qualification for doing vocational courses is either ten or ten plus two. These courses provide us with a certificate or diploma degree.

Vocational education helps us in learning new skills or improves our skills. In this era when there are limited job opportunities. The industries and firms require a skilled or trained candidate. These courses help us in getting jobs.

Challenges of Vocational Education in India

  • Many of the students are not able to get the proper information about the vocational courses and therefore they have to opt for academic education.
  • The government is also paying less attention to promoting the importance of vocational courses.
  • The financial help and funds are not sufficient to make these courses to run successfully, as these courses require the use of machinery and technology.
  • The teachers involved in these courses either are not having proper resources to teach the students or are not knowledgeable.
  • The universities and colleges offering these courses are not having proper practice and training facilities. The students without any practical knowledge cannot work in any industry.
  • The tools and techniques need to be updated with the development of technology. It will be of no use if the old concept is taught.

Vocational education has become important. It helps people to make their careers in the field in which they are interested along with getting a way to earn their living.

Essay 3 (500 – 600 Words) – Vocational Education versus Academic Education and Its Benefits

As we all know that our country is a developing country the development of which depends upon its people. So, vocational education is one of the helping aids in its development. Vocational education courses play an important role in making students become skilled and get employed. It lays an emphasis on the practical aspect of the relevant course or field. It includes various streams like art and craft, electrician, trade, technology, etc.

Vocational Education versus Academic Education

In our country India, there is a concept of academic education which is prevailing for years. Academic education offers vast course syllabi and theoretical concepts. Practical learning is only in laboratories and internships. The academic course requires a longer time to be completed and involves a higher expenditure of money. The students after completion of the course are awarded a degree. There are many of the students who graduated and post-graduated each year, but they cannot get jobs easily and remain unemployed as they lack in skill.

The vocational education courses are helping us in developing our skills by providing us with a practical approach to the course. They help in the process of learning by providing training and workshops related to the course. This helps the student to develop the required skill and have prior experience of the work. Therefore the skilled students are easily hired by different industries and are employed.

Benefits of Vocational Education

  • Vocational education courses can be completed in a short period of time. The person receives a certificate or diploma degree after the completion of the course.
  • These courses can be done at any age, and with less expenditure of money. There are many courses, out of which some are full time and some are part-time courses.
  • Vocational education is connected with the practical approach to the subject. It provides the student to apply the concept to real work functioning. The students opting for vocational education and training are hired easily by the recruiters as they have practical skills in a particular field.
  • There are many courses under vocational education that can be completed online or by distance learning.
  • There is a high demand for skilled professionals in the market. The students who have opted for these courses are employed by the industries as they are skilled.
  • Vocational education courses are a job providing courses as they help in producing skilled manpower. This helps in contributing to the economic development of the country.
  • Vocational education courses can be done only after completing 10 th or 12 th standards.
  • Vocational education also helps students to start their own business, after they are acquired the skill of entrepreneurship. They can start their business independently.

Towards a New Era for Vocational Education in India

The former HRD minister Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed addressed that, getting jobs as a student requires becoming skilled. The skilled population in India accounts for only 25% of the whole. As the development of the country is increasing day by day, so these courses will become the need of the time.

The New education policy has introduced many vocational courses like artificial intelligence, tourism, information technology, mass media, etc. These courses will be introduced from this year only and will be applicable from the 6-9 th class. According to CBSE, these skills will lead to developing the creative and reasoning skills in the students. Thus these courses will make them work globally.

CBSE has started three courses – Design Thinking, Physical Activity Trainer, and Artificial Intelligence which will be implemented for class 11 th students in 2020-21.

CBSE has 40 vocational courses which had been since 2014. For strengthening the vocational education and with a strong determination to provide benefit to each and every student; many of the courses have been introduced with the partnership of various companies like Rolta India Limited, NIFT, WWI, NHMIT, etc from which students will be benefited with these strategies as they get a proper platform for training and carrier development.

Vocational education courses must be encouraged in our country. There are many sectors that have a requirement for skilled professionals, but unfortunately, the skilled and trained professionals are few in number. This creates a misbalance in demand and availability of the industries for skilled manpower. Vocational education is an urgent need today as it can help in solving the issue of reduced skilled manpower.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Charles Allen is regarded as the father of vocational education.

Ans . Vocational education helps us in better learning and prepares us for getting good job opportunities.

Ans . There are a total of 40 vocational courses.

Ans . The duration of vocational courses is from two months to two years depending upon the course.

Ans . Vocational education started in India in 1956.

Related Posts

Essay on digital india, cashless india essay, essay on child is father of the man, essay on causes, effects and prevention of corona virus, essay on dr. sarvepalli radhakrishnan, durga puja essay, essay on summer vacation, essay on my plans for summer vacation, essay on holiday, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  • Open access
  • Published: 16 November 2020

Does tertiary vocational education beat academic education? A matching analysis of young men’s earnings developments

  • Veronika Lukesch 1 &
  • Thomas Zwick   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4032-1995 1 , 2 , 3  

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training volume  12 , Article number:  16 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

6233 Accesses

3 Citations

11 Altmetric

Metrics details

This paper shows that young men who completed an apprenticeship education plus a tertiary vocational education have considerably higher earnings during the first half of their career than those who obtained an academic education in addition to their apprenticeship education. We match employees with a tertiary vocational and an academic education based on their labour market experience and their individual and employer characteristics during their formative apprenticeship training years in which they presumably decided on their further education track. Then we compare the earnings developments in both groups of the matched sample during their tertiary education phase and after its completion for maximally 16 years after apprenticeship completion. We use linked employer-employee data of the IAB (LIAB9310).

Introduction

There is a lively debate on differences between the returns of vocational in comparison to academic or general education (Eichhorst et al. 2015 ; Hanushek et al. 2017 ). It is however frequently overlooked in this debate that apprenticeship training does not equate to streaming into vocational education at the secondary level because a considerable share of former apprentices moves on to academic education in many countries (Ryan 2001 ). Besides academic education, many apprentices obtain vocational tertiary education. Vocational tertiary education however is comparable to academic education with respect to duration and is sorted into the same level in most professional classifications (OECD 2015 ).

This paper compares accumulated earnings of employees with a vocational tertiary education to academics when both groups have a completed vocational training on the upper secondary level. The comparison allows the assessment of the market value of vocational and academic education for relatively homogeneous groups of employees. Besides having a comparable education history, employees in both comparison groups have the ambition to add a higher education after having obtained an occupation that gives access to the skilled labour market (Rzepka 2018 ). Homogeneity of academics and employees with vocational tertiary education with respect to career orientation and schooling efforts allow us to effectively control for the endogeneity of educational path choice. The earnings differences we calculate therefore can be interpreted as causal effects of differences in the choice of the education path. So far, most comparisons of the returns to education of vocational and academic education are on secondary education or they do not take into account differences in the prestige and selectivity of vocational and academic education (Verhaest and Baert 2018 ).

Besides calculating the earnings differences in vocational vs. academic education, the question whether tertiary vocational education is an attractive alternative to academic education also is important in its own right, however. The group of those with completed apprenticeship training who are interested in a tertiary education and have the choice between vocational and academic education track is large and growing in Germany (Rzepka 2018 ).

Our contributions to the literature on the returns to academic versus vocational training are: first, we address the selection bias into academic vs. vocational tertiary education by identifying and using comparable homogeneous employee groups that are matched on individual labour market value during apprenticeship training. Second, we calculate the returns to tertiary vocational education in comparison to tertiary academic education in a lifetime earnings approach using detailed administrative earnings spell data for the first half of the employees’ career. Third, we contribute to the discussion of the labour market acceptance of vocational careers in comparison to academic careers at the tertiary education level by comparing institutional differences between both education paths.

The paper is structured as follows. “ Tertiary vocational education ” describes the institutional background of tertiary vocational education in Germany. “ Data, sample and description ” presents our data and sample. “ Empirical method ” discusses our empirical method to calculate differences in lifetime earnings of employees with tertiary vocational and academic education. The results of the earnings comparisons are presented in “ Results ”. In “ Robustness Checks ”, several robustness checks are shown. “ Discussion ” discusses our results and concludes.

Tertiary vocational education in Germany

This paper calculates differences in earnings for people with tertiary vocational and academic education. In order to compare earnings of a homogeneous group of employees, we only include employees who in principle could have chosen both education tracks. More specifically, all employees in our sample completed an apprenticeship on the secondary level that is necessary to start with a tertiary vocational education and that is used by a substantial share of academics as a first degree before their tertiary education. The typical course of career events for people in our sample is depicted in Fig.  1 . In order to understand our sample of employees better, we first characterize the German vocational training system with its secondary and tertiary education levels.

figure 1

Relevant career phases

The dual apprenticeship training system is an important and successful component of the German education system. Apprenticeship training in Germany traditionally provides general and vocational education at the upper-secondary level for the majority of the German workforce and it therefore is the backbone of medium-skilled occupational training. Until the year 2012, the highest occupational level of more than 50% of the German population was a completed dual apprenticeship. In 2016, this share slightly fell to 47.2% (Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung 2018 , Table B5-4web). We have to take into account that in addition to about half of the population with a completed apprenticeship “only”, a substantial share of people with a tertiary education also completed an apprenticeship. This paper concentrates on the group of people with a completed tertiary education after their apprenticeship because providing career perspectives for employees who completed apprenticeship training is crucial to keep the apprenticeship system attractive and improves the pool of applicants for apprenticeship training.

The tertiary vocational education certificate (in Germany frequently called, “ Meister ” or “ Techniker ”) is a widely recognised education that allows a career in the framework of the German vocational education system. Around 20% of apprenticeship completers obtain a tertiary vocational education certificate. Footnote 1 In order to be allowed to attend tertiary vocational education, it is necessary to have completed an apprenticeship. The tertiary vocational education certificate guarantees general and transferable skills and it is granted by independent public bodies, the chambers of commerce and the chambers of craft. The certification therefore is analogous to apprenticeship training at the upper-secondary level, compare Acemoglu and Pischke ( 2000 ). The most important trait of the apprenticeship system is that the certificate is well known to most employers. In addition, the education contents are standardised and transparent, leaving the employer that contributed to education and their costs after completing foremen education is costless and possible directly after completion. Also analogously to apprenticeship training at the secondary schooling level, the costs for the foreman education are jointly borne by the state, employer and the employees. Footnote 2 The state subsidises occupational schools and the certification bodies. In addition, analogously to means-tested subsidies for students, there are also subsidies for tertiary vocational education. Footnote 3 About half of the foremen used public subsidies, mainly the Federal Training Assistance ( Aufstiegs-BAföG ) in the period 2012–2017 (DIHK 2018 ). The employers may provide practical training of those in tertiary vocational education at their own costs, about 30% of foremen received financial or other support from their employers (DIHK 2018 ). The employees either reduce their working hours (part-time education) or they stop altogether with their work (full-time education). In addition, they have to pay considerable education fees.

As an alternative to a vocational career, many apprenticeship completers also have the option to obtain an academic certificate from a university or a university of applied sciences. More than one fifth of apprenticeship completers already has a university entrance certificate ( Abitur ) (Adda et al. 2013 ) and this group can study at an academic institution directly after completing apprenticeship training or after a work spell without additional requirements. In addition, there are mainly two pathways for non-traditional students who are vocationally trained but do not have sufficient schooling to get direct access to academic education: they either take Abendschule (evening school) during or after apprenticeship training or an entrance exam provided by the academic institution for applicants with completed vocational training but without Abitur (Wolter et al. 2014 ). Footnote 4 Reasons mentioned for obtaining an apprenticeship certificate before an academic study are risk reduction (Büchel and Helberger 1995 ) and getting occupational practice for the academic job (Lewin et al. 1996 ). Some apprentices also may discover their career orientation during the apprenticeship training.

Tertiary vocational and some academic degrees are classified at the same level according to the International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED 2011 level 6. Footnote 5 The German tertiary vocational education is therefore comparable for example to the polytechnics vocational bachelor degrees obtained in Finland, Norway, the Netherlands (Böckerman et al. 2018 ) or Switzerland (Tuor and Backes-Gellner 2010 ). In 2014, around 40.000 individuals completed tertiary vocational training in Germany (BIBB 2016 ).

Although so many apprenticeship completers in Germany obtain a tertiary vocational education in Germany and the organisation of this education degree is comparable to the well-known dual apprenticeship system at the secondary education level, relatively little is known about the returns to education from it. The obvious comparison group of the effect of a foremen degree on earnings seems to be an academic degree at the same professional certification level.

Previous literature on returns to vocational and academic training

Brunello and Rocco ( 2017 , p. 106) summarize the discussion on differences between the returns to vocational and academic training as follows: “Education economists often point out that individuals with a vocational education face a trade-off between short term benefits and long term costs. In the short term, this type of education facilitates the transition from school to the labour market by providing ready to use skills. In the long term, however, vocational skills depreciate relatively fast and individuals who specialize in these skills are less capable of adapting to technical change than individuals endowed with a more academically oriented education.” The main argument for higher returns to vocational education at the start of the career is that vocational education provides ready to use skills, facilitates the transition from school to work, and therefore leads to a higher labour market value in comparison to general or academic training (Cörvers et al. 2011 ; Wolter and Ryan 2011 ; Fersterer et al. 2008 ). This advantage may however come at the price of vocational skills becoming quickly obsolete in modern economies characterised by rapid technological change (Bennett et al. 1995 ; Krueger and Kumar 2004 ; Golsteyn and Stenberg 2017 ; Hanushek et al. 2017 ; Brunello and Rocco 2017 ). Therefore, there may be a turning point during the career when lifetime earnings from academic education surpass earnings from tertiary vocational education (Bennett et al. 1995 ; Hanushek et al. 2017 ). It remains unclear however how strong the financial advantage of vocational tertiary education is and at which age occurs the break-even point.

Previous empirical contributions found mixed results on the returns to vocational in comparison to academic education. The first group of papers compares the returns to vocational vs. academic education including employees with several education levels. As the vocationally trained have a lower education level on average, the studies usually find higher earnings for those with an academic education in the long run and for lifetime earnings (compare Flake et al. 2016 and Rzepka 2018 for Germany, Hanushek et al. 2017 for a sample of 11 countries). For Switzerland, Tuor and Backes-Gellner ( 2010 ) however do not find differences in net earnings between those who obtained a foreman certificate or a university of applied science certificate and those who obtained a university certificate.

The second group of studies compares returns to education at the same education level and therefore it is closer to our approach. Most of these empirical papers therefore find that more general education contents in a given education track pay off only in the long run in comparison to more vocational contents (if at all), compare Dearden et al. ( 2002 ) for the UK, Bishop and Mane ( 2004 ) and Meer ( 2007 ) for the USA, Fersterer et al. ( 2008 ) for Austria, Cörvers et al. ( 2011 ) for Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, Golsteyn and Stenberg ( 2017 ) for Sweden, Malamud and Pop-Eleches ( 2010 ) for Romania, Zilic ( 2018 ) for Croatia, and Brunello and Rocco ( 2017 ) for the UK.

Empirical research on the economic effects of education types mainly faces the task of controlling in a credible way the endogenous selection into different curricula and education tracks (Blundell et al. 2000 , 2005 ; Brunello et al. 2017 ). In other words, unobservables may have an important impact on education choice as well as on earnings. Some papers use ordinary least squares wage equations (Blundell et al. 2000 ). They can be interpreted as regression based linear matching (Heckman et al. 1998 ). The control function estimators aim at putting enough structure to completely model the selection decision into the schooling track. Many obvious drivers of earnings potential and career intentions such as motivation or ability are hard to control with this approach, however. Some papers therefore compare earnings of same-sex full siblings (Golsteyn and Stenberg 2017 ) or use matching functions (Rzepka 2018 ) in order to get rid of heterogeneity. Other studies on returns to education use instrumental variables estimators and attempt to control for the correlation between otherwise unobserved individual factors and schooling choices by way of an excluded instrument, which is an education determinant which is independent of earnings (Card 1999 ), compare Hanushek et al. ( 2017 ). The third group of studies uses natural experiments that ideally split homogeneous groups of people in a treatment group with changes in education requirements or options and a control group without these changes. Examples of exogenous variations used to calculate differences in earnings by education path are changes in the compulsory shares of vocational and general content of education (Malamud and Pop-Eleches 2010 ; Hall 2016 ; Zilic 2018 ), the addition of one or two years of compulsory schooling (Pischke and von Wachter 2008 ; Bhuller et al. 2017 ), or the unexpected closure of firms that offered apprenticeship training (Fersterer et al. 2008 ; Hanushek et al. 2017 ).

In order to calculate the earnings differences between vocational and academic education, this paper for the first time combines two important steps that reduce potential estimation biases. First, we only compare vocational and academic education at the same—tertiary—level. Second, for matching it is important that during the period before the treatment decision, treatment and non-treatment pairs are observationally equal. We therefore only compare people who pursue (and complete) an apprenticeship training before choosing tertiary education. Unobservable yet decisive factors for earnings potential and career orientation therefore should be comparable (Dearden et al. 2002 ; Brunello and Rocco 2017 ). Most academics in Germany for example do not have apprenticeship training and therefore do not regard their academic studies as an alternative to a vocational career option. In addition, apprenticeship completers who obtain a tertiary vocational education may not be comparable to the average apprenticeship completer with respect to skills and abilities. We therefore argue that academics with a completed apprenticeship and apprenticeship completers with a tertiary vocational education are more homogeneous comparison groups than all employees with a completed vocational training on the secondary level and all academics. Footnote 6

In addition to the sample reduction on people with completed apprenticeship training, we match employees with a tertiary vocational and employees with an academic education using propensity score matching. We argue in detail in the empirical methods section why using individual, occupation, and employer information from the apprenticeship training period captures the earnings potential of an employee better than using for example test results or other individual characteristics from school age as indicators for earnings capacity.

Data, sample and description

We use the longitudinal Linked Employer-Employee Panel Data of the Institute of Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg for a maximum period of 1993–2010 (LIAB 9310). Our observation period of maximally 17 years means that we can construct earnings profiles during the entire first half of the career for many employees after completing their apprenticeship. Our panel data set allows us to separate cohort from age effects. We therefore can control for business cycle effects at the first labour market barrier (start of the apprenticeship), during the tertiary education phase, and after having obtained the vocational or academic tertiary education degree in addition to birth year and age.

Individual social security records are linked with the employer survey of the IAB Establishment Panel. The employer data for example include information about the establishment size, industrial relations, and sector. It seems important to control for employer characteristics because apprentices from small and low-paying training employers might have a different market value and different incentives to obtain a vocational or academic tertiary education than those having obtained their secondary vocational degree from a prestigious, large and well-paying employer (Dellas and Sakellaris 2003 ). In addition, selection into large industrial firms and well-paying apprenticeship occupations is important information on the selection at the first labour market barrier that indicates the labour market value of the apprentice (Soskice 1994 ).

The administrative employee data include information about schooling plus occupational education, daily earnings, occupation, employment spells, apprenticeship spells, and unemployment spells, as well as age, tenure, gender, and work experience (Alda et al. 2005 ; Jacobebbinghaus and Alda 2007 ). The administrative individual data have the advantage that they are essentially free of reporting errors because this information is used to calculate social assistance, earnings taxes, and old age pension entitlements. There might be some problems with the schooling information because this variable might not be updated or reported with errors by the employer (Fitzenberger et al. 2005 ). We take our crucial information on completing tertiary vocational or academic education however from another variable in the data, the so-called “occupational status at the employer” ( Stellung im Beruf und Arbeitszeit ). This variable supposedly is more accurate than the schooling information because it is directly related to the topical work position of the employee. The work position however is more relevant for earnings than education level. Employers have to actively change the information on the work position of employees who have been first classified as skilled employees with a dual apprenticeship after they completed their vocational or academic tertiary level degree and now work in an adequate position for employees with a completed tertiary education. The same reasoning applies for employer changers who have been classified as apprentices or as skilled employees with a completed apprenticeship in an earlier employment spell and later are classified as academics or foremen. Footnote 7 We therefore can be sure that we observe only employees with an adequate position and drop employees from our sample who completed their vocational or academic tertiary level degree but still work as skilled employees at the upper-secondary level or founded their own business. Footnote 8

Another well-known problem of our data set is that we do not observe the number of hours worked per day for people in part-time employment. This information deficit however does not play a big role in calculating lifetime earnings because we are interested in cumulated absolute earnings and not hourly earnings. We therefore also include part-time employment spells. Finally, employees with earnings above the social security threshold have only the threshold reported and therefore right-censored income. As we mainly look at earnings during the first career years, the share of censored income observations is small, however. Footnote 9 We impute true earnings using a procedure proposed by Gartner ( 2005 ). We also check the robustness of our results when we only include observations without censoring.

In a first step, we identify all male apprentices who completed the dual apprenticeship training between 1993 and 2007 (N = 272,439). For this period, we have full information about the training and labour market biography. The restriction of the observation period to the year 2007 is necessary, in order to observe the apprentices with completed education for at least three years after they finished their apprenticeship. Studies have shown that males and females pursue different strategies in selecting educational tracks (Golsteyn and Stenberg 2017 ). Therefore, we only include males within our sample Footnote 10 because most occupations with a large share of foremen are dominated by males, for example those in the metal industry. In addition, we only keep occupations and professions for which vocational and academic education at the tertiary level is possible (e.g. no hairdressers).

The identification of a successful completion of vocational and academic education at the upper-secondary and tertiary level with Social Security Records data requires certain assumptions. The data only entail information on the status as apprentice, which makes it difficult to distinguish between dropouts and successful apprenticeship completion. About two thirds of dropouts however occur within the first year of apprenticeship training (BIBB 2016 ). Therefore, we drop all apprenticeship spells with a training period shorter than 1.5 years to ensure that only successful apprenticeship completers are included within our sample.

In a second step, we restrict our sample to apprentices who either complete tertiary vocational or tertiary academic education (N = 25,191 which is around 9.25% of the original sample). Further restrictions include a minimum age at the start of the apprenticeship of 15 years and a minimum age for foremen of 18 years. Further, we only include individuals who obtain their tertiary education after the apprenticeship. Our final sample before we perform the matching procedure includes 19,275 apprentices who either become foremen (N = 2213) or academics (N = 17,062). Footnote 11

Our spell data allow us to identify with daily accuracy the beginning and ending of the apprenticeship, the first employment spell(s) as skilled employee at upper-secondary level after apprenticeship completion, and the first employment spell(s) as skilled vocationally or academically skilled employee at the tertiary level (see Fig.  1 ).

From the apprenticeship period (decision phase), we determine the exact age at the beginning and ending of the apprenticeship at upper-secondary level, the schooling background of the apprentice, the year of the apprenticeship completion, and the daily wage at the end of the apprenticeship. We use the number of apprentices, the retention rate after apprenticeship training, the average income level within the training establishment and sector, size, and location as indicators of the quality of the apprenticeship training and the attractiveness of the training employer (Soskice 1994 ).

Simple comparisons between our groups of vocationally and academically trained employees including t tests show that employees with vocational tertiary education are about one year younger than academics when they complete their apprenticeship training, they earn a little less at the end of the apprenticeship, they are more likely to be trained in smaller establishments, and the average income level within the training establishment is lower. Footnote 12 All differences of means between foremen and academics within the decision phase on the tertiary education path are statistically significant. These differences point at a lower schooling and ability background of employees with tertiary vocational training in comparison to employees with tertiary academic training at the first labour market barrier (apprenticeship training at the secondary training level).

Our second measurement period is between the completion of the apprenticeship and the first employment as a completer of a vocational or academic tertiary education (education phase). Foremen gain more full-time working experience within this period than academics, they work less in part-time, they spend more days in unemployment and less time outside of the labour market, compare Table 1 . Again, all differences of means are significant and intuitive given that a vocational education on the tertiary level is closer to the labour market than an academic education. Foremen can choose between a full or part-time further education model. The education phase is about one year longer for academics than for foremen although they work less during their education.

Our third measurement period starts with the first employment as academic or foreman (return phase). Foremen are about 1.2 years younger when they start to work as foremen and they are employed in smaller establishments than academics (compare Table 1 ). Furthermore, the average income level of the establishments where foremen start is lower. Again, the differences of means are statistically significant. In contrast, the differences of means of the entry wages as academic or foreman are statistically insignificant.

We want to compare those foremen and academics who had a comparable labour market value and labour market prospects at the start into their labour market career after apprenticeship training. Therefore, we propose a matching method to find suitable homogeneous couples based on individual and employer characteristics during apprenticeship training.

Empirical method

To recover the average treatment effect on the treated, we choose a propensity score matching method (Rosenbaum and Rubin 1983 ; Heckman et al. 1998 ; Smith and Todd 2005 ; Biewen et al. 2014 ; Hanushek et al. 2017 ). The matching method tries to mimic ex-post a natural experiment by choosing a comparison group from among the non-treated such that the selected group is as similar as possible to the treatment group in terms of their observable characteristics (Dehejia and Wahba 1999 , 2002 ; Mueser et al. 2007 ). Our matching variables therefore aim to explain whether an apprentice chooses a vocational or academic tertiary education after completion and earnings during apprenticeship training. After adequately controlling for differences during the decision phase on tertiary education, we can interpret earnings differences after apprenticeship completion as treatment effect of a vocational versus an academic tertiary schooling choice (Heckman et al. 1998 ; Lechner 2002 ).

Although the sample reduction to employees with a tertiary vocational education and academics with a completed apprenticeship strongly reduces unobservable and observable differences in characteristics of employees with a vocational and with an academic education, both groups still show large differences in indicators of earnings potential and career intentions. We therefore use the 1:1 nearest neighbour matching to make foremen comparable to academics with respect to their tertiary education decision and their earnings potential (Stuart 2010 ; Rubin 1973 ; Smith and Todd 2005 ). The basic idea is to identify an academic who is as similar as possible to a foreman concerning all relevant pre-treatment characteristics. during the apprenticeship training period. As our control group is large enough, we perform matching without replacement to ensure, that every academic is matched only once. Footnote 13 After the matching procedure, we have 2079 foremen and the same number of matched academics. Footnote 14

We first assume that the quality of the apprenticeship training employer is an important indicator of earnings potential and career orientation because it indicates selectivity at the first labour market barrier for employees included in our sample (Von Wachter and Bender 2006 ). In Germany, is a clear hierarchy with respect to the attractiveness of apprenticeships and firms thoroughly screen their apprenticeship candidates (Soskice 1994 ; Winkelmann 1996 ). As a consequence, young people with a higher earnings potential and career orientation select themselves into larger and better paying training firms as well as into more attractive occupations and sectors (Soskice 1994 ). We therefore include the apprentice retention rate, size and sector of the training establishment, the number of apprentices, and the average income level in the training establishment are important matching variables.

Second, individual characteristics also reveal earnings potential and career orientation. Our individual indicators during apprenticeship training are occupation, age at the start of apprenticeship training (older apprentices frequently have a better professional orientation), prior education level, and length of apprenticeship period (more demanding apprenticeship programmes take longer). In addition, we use the labour market value of apprentices as revealed by their relative wage position within an occupation (compare Bhuller et al. 2017 ).

Finally, also the business cycle and temporary and regional labour market effects may influence the earnings potential and career decisions. Apprentices in depression phases may have higher incentives for obtaining tertiary education than apprentices with better options on the labour market directly after apprenticeship completion (Dellas and Sakellaris 2003 ). We therefore control for year and location in Western Germany. Footnote 15

Most papers on the returns to education rely on (mainly) cognitive tests or standardised ability test as indicators of earnings potential. Examples of tests are the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the American Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIACC), Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests results, or the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) (Hanushek et al. 2017 ; Bhuller et al. 2017 ; Stenberg and Westerlund 2015 ; Heckman et al. 2018 ). Other frequently used matching variables for earnings potential and career orientation are school grades (Rzepka 2018 ), family background variables including parents´ opinion on education, siblings or twins (Blundell et al. 2000 , 2005 ; Golsteyn and Stenberg 2017 ), the number of books in the household or the economic situation during the schooling period (Card 1999 ; Brunello et al. 2017 ). Basic cognitive ability measured years before labour market entry (such as in AFQT or PISA or the family situation during youth) or during adulthood (such as in IALS) may influence earnings potential and career orientation differently for different education tracks, however. It may be argued, for example, that cognitive skills play a larger role for jobs mainly performed by people with an academic education and non-cognitive skills may be more important for jobs performed by employees with a vocational education (Heckman et al. 2006 ; Kahn 2013 ). Another problem of using cognitive test results in order to control for differences in earnings potential and career orientation is that labour market value also is determined by non-cognitive skills (Heckman et al. 2006 ; Schönberg 2007 ; Kahn 2013 ; Mohrenweiser et al. 2020 ). Footnote 16 The importance of non-cognitive skills for earnings potential means that an important and independent dimension of ability is missing in most test indicators. Heckman et al. ( 2006 ) even argue that schooling and ability test scores obtained during and after schooling are correlated and might induce reverse causality (and therefore biases) in earnings estimations. As a consequence, according to our estimation strategy, also in the public training programme evaluation literature and in the returns to postsecondary education literature mainly earnings, individual labour market experience and labour market characteristics just before treatment are used as matching parameters (Heckman et al. 1998 , 1999 ; Mueser et al. 2007 ; Böckerman et al. 2018 ).

Blundell et al. ( 2000 ) and Blundell et al. ( 2005 ) compare returns to education with and without earnings potential indicators. Footnote 17 They find that the inclusion of family background, demographic and ability test information hardly changes the measured returns to education. The inclusion of topical job information (employer size dummies, union status and a public /private sector dummy) however has a strong impact on education returns. Past wage information therefore may be a better indicator of earnings potential and career orientation than ability indicators obtained before entry into the labour market (Kahn 2013 ). We therefore suggest to use previous earnings and labour market indicators instead of ability indicators from the time before the education is obtained as indicators for earnings potential and career orientation (Ryan 2001 ; Stenberg and Westerlund 2015 ; Biewen et al. 2014 ).

By conditioning on information during apprenticeship training such as market value or employer characteristics for our matching, we also control for state dependence that might be crucial for controlling for endogeneity. Early experience in the youth labour market has consequences for later decisions and labour market prospects (Ryan 2001 ). For example, apprentices in high quality apprenticeship training programmes may have a higher propensity to opt for tertiary academic education than apprentices in small firms.

Although we do our best to control for selection into the educational track, we cannot be sure whether unobserved attributes nevertheless drive the earnings potential and career orientation. As a negative selection by ability into the vocational track will be shown later, the ceteris paribus prediction would be lower earnings for participants if vocational studies had no effect. The earnings advantage of the vocational track is therefore likely to be genuine and may be even larger if selectivity bias could be further reduced (Ryan 2001 ).

We use the sum of earnings added from spell data instead of current earnings patterns constructed from yearly average earnings or earnings at a selected day per year. Earnings sums are the preferred measure of returns to education because they avoid life cycle bias incurred by cross-section estimations, compare Bhuller et al. ( 2017 ) or Brunello et al. ( 2017 ). We use longitudinal spell data covering most of the age spectrum, which allows us to disentangle cohort, age and time effects. We take into account that future income has to be discounted. We therefore adjust earnings for inflation and use a discount rate of 2.4% (Bhuller et al. 2017 ).

Quality tests show that the matching procedure is able to balance the distribution of the relevant matching variables in both the control and treatment group. We assessed the standardised bias as suggested by Rosenbaum and Rubin ( 1985 ). The standardised bias for each covariate is defined as the difference of sample means in the treated and matched control subsamples as a percentage of the square root of the average of sample variances in both groups. One problem of this approach is that there is no clear benchmark indicating the success of the bias reduction. However, if the standardised bias is reduced below 5% after matching, the method is considered effective (Caliendo and Kopeinig 2008 ). Figure  2 presents a graphical comparison of group differences before and after matching.The standardised bias for each covariate is lower than 5% after the matching procedure.

figure 2

Differences in characteristics between academics and vocationally trained before (2.213 foremen and 17.062 academics) and after matching (2.079 matches.) Note: occupations on a 2 digit level and 24 economic sections are included in our matching, but not shown in the graph

We also control for the matching quality using a two-sample t test to check whether there are significant differences in covariate means for both groups (Rosenbaum and Rubin 1985 ). The tests show no significant differences after matching (see Table 2 for details).

The main finding is that the matched employees´ earnings during their apprenticeship training are equal and we therefore assume that apprentices in both groups have comparable earnings ability.

Figure  3 shows the differences in log daily earnings of vocationally educated compared to their matched academics up to 16.5 years after their dual apprenticeship training (198 months). After our successful matching, there are no significant earnings differences during the apprenticeship period (see months −24 to 0). After the end of the apprenticeship, vocationally educated employees earn significantly more than academics. For example, five years (60 months) after the apprenticeship training, vocationally educated employees earn on average 165% more. Even 10 years after their apprenticeship training, the difference between log wages is still 45%. This big advantage in earnings for vocationally educated is mainly a consequence of the fact that academics have a somewhat longer education phase and therefore start their professional working phase later in life. In addition, during vocational tertiary education chances to be employed are higher than during academic education.

figure 3

Earnings differences between matched vocationally and academically educated people after completed apprenticeship (N = 2079 matched pairs)

A comparison of cumulative earnings differences in both groups shows that individuals with vocational tertiary education hold a substantial advantage in earnings (the maximum is at 122.000€, see Fig.  4 ). This advantage is higher than several average yearly earnings for both groups and it is only gradually reduced in later career years. Footnote 18 As a consequence of the fact that entry earnings of those who just completed vocational tertiary education are higher than their academic matching partner, on average the turning point from which the earnings advantage starts to get reduced is only reached about thirteen years after the completion of apprenticeship training of the matched individuals (see Fig.  4 ). Even at the end of the observation period of more than 16 years after apprenticeship training, foremen have a substantially higher life time earnings level. More specifically, 16 years after apprenticeship training, foremen on average have an advantage in cumulative earnings of 107.000€ compared to the academically educated employees matched to them.

figure 4

Differences in cumulative earnings between matched foremen and academics (N = 2079)

If we assume that the decline in the financial advantage of master craftsmen between the years 13 and 16 continues at the same pace, the financial advantage would have disappeared more than 20 years later or about 35 years after the end of the apprenticeship training. The foremen and academically educated employees in our dataset would be 57 years old by then.

Robustness checks

We first compare our main results with a calculation of cumulative earnings without any matching procedure but still using a sample of academics with a completed apprenticeship training as comparison group. Footnote 19 As shown in Appendix Figs.  5 and 6 , the earnings advantage of foremen is a lot smaller (max. 61,300€) and declines already eight years after the apprenticeship training. 16 years after the apprenticeship, the financial advantage of foremen declined to not even 8500€. The big differences between matched and unmatched samples may be a result of the fact, that without an adequate matching procedure, foremen are compared with academics in actually not comparable occupations, at different times in their working career, and without comparable earnings potential already during the apprenticeship.

figure 5

Earnings differences between vocationally and academically educated people after completed apprenticeship (2213 foremen and 17,062 academics)

figure 6

Differences in cumulative earnings between foremen and academics after completed apprenticeship before matching (2213 foremen and 17,062 academics)

To make sure that our results are not driven by specific individuals in our matching sample, we also calculate earnings differences of matched sub-samples such as university (732 matches) and polytechnic (1365 matches) academics. The matching in these sub-samples works effectively and we have similar earnings of foremen and their matched academics during the apprenticeship training. The log wage differences pattern looks similar to our results of the whole sample. The comparison of cumulative earnings between university academics and foremen shows that the higher earnings especially at the beginning of their career leads to a substantial advantage of 123.000 € after 10 years and about 166.000€ after 16 years (see Appendix Fig.  7 ). Compared to polytechnic academics, the earnings advantage of foremen is still substantial but lower. After 10 years foremen earn 99.000€ more and after 16 years the earnings advantage is still 83.000€ (see Appendix Fig.  8 ). The sub-sample comparison suggests, that university academics might reach higher earnings than foremen, but later (after our observation phase) in their working careers.

figure 7

Differences in cumulative earnings between matched foremen and university academics (N = 732)

figure 8

Differences in cumulative earnings between matched foremen and polytechnic academics (N = 1365)

Additional sub-samples such as vocationally educated employees with highest education at the tertiary level with and without higher secondary schooling background ( Abitur ), apprentices in certain occupations or industries confirm our results (due to sample size restrictions, no detailed results are shown).

As we compare future earnings, discount rates have to be taken into account. Academics have higher earnings later in their career and therefore the discount rate might have an effect on the earnings comparison. We used different discount rates (see the results for zero and 5% discount in Appendix Figs.  9 and 10 ). The results are only slightly affected by discount rates and we therefore chose a discount rate of 2.4% that has also been used in the previous literature (Bhuller et al. 2017 ).

figure 9

Differences in cumulative earnings between matched foremen and academics with discount rate 0% (N = 2079)

figure 10

Differences in cumulative earnings between matched foremen and academics with discount rate 5% (N = 2079)

In addition to the nearest neighbour matching method described above, we also compare earnings differences between vocationally and academically educated employees who completed their apprenticeship within the same year, in the same training establishment, and in the same occupation (on a two digit level). In our matching model, we do not use exact matching on these variables and therefore matched employees may come from different employers (we only match on employer size, location and sector, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the exact same employer) and have different occupations, for example. If we assume that the “formative years” during apprenticeship are decisive for the earnings potential, an exact matching on occupation and employer gives us a more adequate earnings comparison. The robustness check of course has the disadvantage that the number of comparable observations is strongly reduced and mainly comes from large training firms. In our twin sample we have 181 foremen and 350 academics because we only can include establishments with at least two apprentices who end their apprenticeship within the establishment in the same year and in the same occupation. The “new comparison confirms our previous findings and leads to an even higher financial advantage of foremen until the end of our observation period. More specifically, five years after the apprenticeship training, future foremen already earn 182% more than their academic counterpart. Thus, the earnings advantage is 17% bigger than in our previous findings (see Appendix Fig.  11 ). The comparison of cumulative earnings of our new comparison groups shows, that 10 years after the apprenticeship, foremen hold a financial advantage of 117,500€ (almost 10,000€ more than before). Thus, 16 years after the end of the apprenticeship training, the earnings advantage of foremen is about the same as in our matching sample (106,300€ instead of 107,000€). Appendix Fig.  11 reveals that we however get wide confidence intervals in our new comparison because the sample size is small.

figure 11

Earnings differences between alternative comparison groups (181 foremen and 350 academics)

Policy choices lead to institutional differences in the provision of academic and vocational education and to differences in shares of people who choose one of the tracks and the labour market outcomes of these choices (Hanushek et al. 2017 ).

We match individuals who are as similar as possible during their formative first labour market years, i.e. during their apprenticeship training. We therefore compare earnings of foremen with selected academics who have the same earnings capacity and career intentions during the period in which they decide whether to choose a tertiary vocational or academic education. The rich information about daily earnings plus the high quality matching results during the apprenticeship period allow us to interpret differences in the earnings developments during the tertiary education phase and after the first employment as foreman or academic as causal earnings effects of a tertiary level vocational vs. an academic education for employees in our sample.

This paper shows that employees with a tertiary vocational education earn more during the first years of their career than comparable academics. This is a strong result because it demonstrates that a vocational tertiary education is an attractive alternative to a more general academic education for comparable groups of employees. Our calculation includes the earnings advantages of tertiary vocational education obtained from better earnings opportunities during education and the shorter education period in comparison to an academic education. Our approach therefore deviates from many studies on returns to education that compare earnings levels after the completion of an education track, for example on the basis of the classical Mincer earnings equation. We however think that a life time earnings approach better depicts the relevant individual decision situation of young people who have both options, vocational and academic tertiary education. The vocational career options at the tertiary level also may increase the attractiveness of vocational training at the upper-secondary level given the path dependence in educational choices and advantages (Böckerman et al. 2018 ). Education options at the tertiary level with a strong vocational content could therefore help to avoid that vocational training at the upper secondary level is seen as a dead-end for low achievers such as is frequently the case for example in France, the USA or the UK (Ryan 2001 ). An apprenticeship instead may be attractive for young people who are uncertain whether a vocational or academic track is the right choice for them because they can use it as a career phase in which they can learn about their skills and preferences without giving up the option to get into an academic track (Ryan 2001 ). Tertiary vocational education also could be an efficient alternative for academic training in countries without a developed vocational education system at the level. Vocational tertiary education is relatively cheap in comparison to academic tertiary education (see the Tables B1 in OECD 2008 ) and it nevertheless produces comparable individual returns on the labour market and a comparable productive value on the labour market in the first half of the career. Especially in countries with a weak labour market performance of tertiary educated academics and/or strongly increasing tuition costs and the accumulation of large student debts, tertiary vocational education may be a good education option (Reyes et al. 2016 ).

This paper concentrates on the internal validity of measuring accumulated earnings for people with tertiary vocational training in comparison to academic training. We cannot generalize our findings to the bigger question of the returns of vocational vs. academic training in Germany or the (hypothetical) earnings effect of introducing tertiary vocational training in countries that do not have this option so far. In order to reduce biases of earnings differences to a minimum (rigor), we decided to select a sample of academics with completed apprenticeship training and therefore trade off some external validity of our findings (relevance).

We find that foremen earn significantly more during the first years after completing apprenticeship training than academics. Their financial advantage flattens off relatively fast, however. We show that foremen have on average achieved a cumulative earnings advantage of 122,000€. Even 16 years after the apprenticeship, foremen still have an earnings advantage of 107,000€. We also show that foremen start in an adequate job when they are about one year younger than academics. The age difference until an adequate job after tertiary education is found additionally increases the gap in cumulative earnings academics have to close during their working lifetime.

It remains a topic for future research whether also the lifetime income of foremen is higher in comparison to their comparison group of academics because our data cover only the first 16 years after completing apprenticeship training. If we assume that the reduction in the financial advantage of foremen decreases at the same pace as during the first years after the peak advantage for foremen, we obtain a reduction of the financial advantage to zero at about 57 years of age. Academics with a completed apprenticeship training therefore on average have a higher lifetime income than foremen.

Availability of data and materials

The data used in this contribution (LIAB9310) are publicly accessible at the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, Germany.

The shares can be constructed by dividing the number of people participating in further training provided by the chambers of commerce or chambers of craft by the number of people who completed an apprenticeship training, compare DIHK ( 2018 ). The exact figures are 23% for 1995 and 21% for 2017.

A full-time foreman education costs about 5000€, BMBF ( 2019 ).

See https://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Artikel/2015/10/2015-10-14-dritte-novelle-meister-bafoeg.htm .

Some academic institutions even offer academic education specifically for apprenticeship completers without university entrance exams, for example the so-called cooperative study with integrated apprenticeship training ( Kooperatives Studium mit integrierter Ausbildung ).

Before the introduction of the Bachelor and Master system, vocational tertiary education was classified at the same level as a diploma from Universities of Applied Sciences ( Fachhochschulen ). After the introduction of both academic levels during the Bologna process, they are classified at the same level as a Bachelor’s degree at universities and a Master’s degree at universities of applied sciences.

Concentrating on tertiary vocational and academic education has the additional advantage in comparison to studies on the returns to education of employees with secondary education that the education obtained usually is the highest education. We cannot exclude that earnings later during the career are influenced by differences in learning on the job and continuing training participation. These differences in personnel development are regarded as part of the package included by the education track choice, however. Cörvers et al. ( 2011 ) argue that employees with general training may profit more from training than vocationally trained employees.

For the sake of briefness, we will call those working adequately with vocational degree at the tertiary level “foremen”.

We cannot exclude mis-reporting by employers with respect to occupational status and therefore there might be some employees who are indicated to work in a foremen position without having obtained a formal foremen certificate.

Censored income observations are below 2% in our sample.

Males have relatively stable aggregate labour-force participation patterns. Our sample therefore avoids biases in returns to education because there are cohort-specific changes in work selection by females, see Hanushek et al. ( 2017 ).

The relatively low share of foremen in our sample in comparison to the share of people with a foreman certificate relative to academics with an apprenticeship certificate in the total population can be explained by two specificities of our sample: more foremen than academics found their own business and entrepreneurs drop out of the sample because it only covers employees. In addition, more foremen than academics do not work in an adequate occupational or professional position.

See Table 1 for detailed descriptive information before matching.

Matching with replacement can be helpful in settings with smaller control groups, see Dehejia and Wahba ( 1999 ).

Nearest neighbour matching with replacement and different specifications of kernel matching have been performed. As the results remain robust, we chose the most straight forward 1:1 nearest neighbour matching without replacement.

It has been shown, that the selection of relevant covariates is more important than the selection of the propensity score matching method (Cook et al. 2008 ; Pohl et al. 2009 ; Shadish et al. 2008 ).

Heckman et al. ( 2006 ) for example show on the basis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (NLSY79) that non-cognitive skills measured by the Rotter Locus of Control Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale have a comparable impact on for example earnings as cognitive ability measured by the Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT).

They use detailed test scores at age 7 and 11, mother’s and father’s education, age, father’s social class when the child was 16, mother’s employment status when the child was 16 and the number of siblings the child had at 16 and school variables to control for ability.

The earnings advantage amounts to about 4 2/3 yearly entry earnings for academics (27.444€, compare Appendix Table 1 ).

The alternative calculation is based on the sample described in Table 1 .

Acemoglu D, Pischke S (2000) Certification of training and training outcomes. Eur Econ Rev 44:917–927

Article   Google Scholar  

Adda J, Dustmann C, Meghir C, Robin J-M (2013) Career progression, economic downturns, and skills. NBER Working Paper 18832, Cambridge, MA

Alda H, Bender S, Gartner H (2005) The linked employer–employee dataset created from the IAB Establishment Panel and the process-produced data of the IAB (LIAB). Schmollers Jahrbuch 125:327–336

Google Scholar  

Bildungsberichterstattung A (2018) Bildung in Deutschland. wbv, Bielefeld

BMBF (2019) Aufstiegs-BAföG. Das Aufstiegsförderungsgesetz, Berlin

Bennett R, Glennerster H, Nevison D (1995) Investing in skill: expected returns to vocational studies. Educ Econ 3:99–117

Bhuller M, Mogstad M, Salvanes K (2017) Life-cycle earnings, education premiums, and internal rates of return. J Labor Econ 35:993–1030

BIBB (2016) Datenreport zum Berufsbildungsbericht 2016: Informationen und Analysen zur Entwicklung der beruflichen Bildung. Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, Bonn

Biewen M, Fitzenberger B, Osikominu A, Paul M (2014) The effectiveness of public sponsored training revisited: the importance of data and methodological choices. J Labor Econ 32:837–897

Bishop J, Mane F (2004) The impacts of career-technical education on high school labour market success. Econ Educ Rev 23:381–402

Blundell R, Dearden L, Goodman A, Reed H (2000) The returns to higher education in Britain: evidence from a British cohort. Econ J 110:F82–F99

Blundell R, Dearden L, Sianesi B (2005) Evaluating the effect of education on earnings: models, methods and results from the National Child Development Survey. J R Stat Soc Ser A 168:473–512

Böckerman P, Haapanen M, Jepsen C (2018) More skilled, better paid: labour-market returns to postsecondary vocational education. Oxf Econ Pap 70:485–508

Brunello G, Rocco L (2017) The labor market effects of academic and vocational education over the life cycle: evidence based on a British cohort. J Hum Cap 11:106–166

Brunello G, Weber G, Weiss CT (2017) Books are forever: early life conditions, education and lifetime earnings in Europe. Econ J 127:271–296

Büchel F, Helberger C (1995) Bildungsnachfrage als Versicherungsstrategie: der Effekt eines zusätzlich erworbenen Lehrabschlusses auf die beruflichen Startchancen von Hochschulabsolventen. Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung 28:32–43

Caliendo M, Kopeinig S (2008) Some practical guidance for the implementation of propensity score matching. J Econ Surv 22:31–72

Card D (1999) The causal effect of education on earnings. In: Ashenfelter O, Card D (eds) Handbook of labor economics, vol 3. North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 1801–1836

Cook TD, Shadish WR, Wong VC (2008) Three conditions under which experiments and observational studies produce comparable causal estimates: new findings from within study comparisons. J Policy Anal Manag 27:724–750

Cörvers F, Heijke H, Kriechel B, Pfeifer H (2011) High and steady or low and rising? Life-cycle earnings patterns in vocational and general education. ROA-RM-2011/7, Maastricht University

Dearden L, McIntosh S, Myck M, Vignoles A (2002) The returns to academic and vocational qualifications in Britain. Bull Econ Res 54:249–274

Dehejia R, Wahba S (1999) Causal effects in nonexperimental studies: re-evaluating the evaluation of training programs. J Am Stat Assoc 94:1053–1062

Dehejia R, Wahba S (2002) Propensity score-matching methods for nonexperimental causal studies. Rev Econ Stat 84:151–161

Dellas H, Sakellaris P (2003) On the cyclicality of schooling: theory and evidence. Oxf Econ Pap 55:148–172

DIHK (2018) Aus- und Weiterbildung in Zahlen, Berlin

Eichhorst W, Rodríguez-Planas N, Schmidl R, Zimmermann K (2015) A road map to vocational education and training in industrialized countries. Ind Labor Relat Rev 68:314–337

Fersterer J, Pischke J-S, Winter-Ebmer R (2008) Returns to apprenticeship training in Austria: evidence from failed firms. Scand J Econ 110:733–753

Fitzenberger B, Osikominu A, Völter R (2005) Imputation rules to improve the education variable in the IAB employment subsample. Schmollers Jahrbuch 126:405–436

Flake R, Werner D, Zibrowius M (2016) Karrierefaktor berufliche Fortbildung—Einkommensperspektiven von Fortbildungsabsolventen. IW Trends 1, Bonn

Gartner H (2005) The imputation of wages above the contribution limit with the German IAB Employment Sample. FDZ Methodenreport 02/2005, Nürnberg

Golsteyn B, Stenberg A (2017) Earnings over the life course: general versus vocational education. J Hum Cap 11:167–212

Hall C (2016) Does more general education reduce the risk of future unemployment? Evidence from an expansion of vocational upper secondary education. Econ Educ Rev 52:251–271

Hanushek EA, Schwerdt G, Woessmann L, Zhang L (2017) General education, vocational education, and labor-market outcomes over the lifecycle. J Hum Resour 52:48–87

Heckman JJ, Ichimura H, Todd P (1998) Matching as an econometric evaluation estimator. Rev Econ Stud 65:261–294

Heckman JJ, LaLonde R, Smith J (1999) The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs. In: Ashenfelter O, Card D (eds) Handbook of labor economics, vol 3. North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 1865–2097

Heckman J, Stixrud J, Urzua S (2006) The effects of cognitive and noncognitive abilities on labor market outcomes and social behavior. J Labor Econ 24:411–482

Heckman J, Humphries J, Veramendi G (2018) Returns to education: the causal effect of education on earnings, health and smoking. J Polit Econ 126:197–246

Jacobebbinghaus P, Alda H (2007) LIAB-Datenhandbuch: version 2.0. Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg

Kahn L (2013) Asymmetric information between employers. Am Econ J Appl Econ 5:165–205

Krueger D, Kumar K (2004) Skill-specific rather than general education: a reason for US–Europe growth differences? J Econ Growth 9:167–207

Lechner M (2002) Program heterogeneity and propensity score matching: an application to the evaluation of active labor market policies. Rev Econ Stat 84:205–220

Lewin K, Minks K-H, Uhde S (1996) Abitur-Berufsausbildung—Studium: Zur Strategie der Doppelqualifizierung von Abiturienten. Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung 29:431–454

Malamud O, Pop-Eleches C (2010) General education versus vocational training: evidence from an economy in transition. Rev Econ Stat 92:43–60

Meer J (2007) Evidence on the returns to secondary vocational education. Econ Educ Rev 26:559–573

Mohrenweiser J, Wydra-Somaggio G, Zwick T (2020) Information advantages of training employers despite credible training certificates. Oxf Econ Pap 72:651–671

Mueser P, Troske K, Goriaslavsky A (2007) Using state administrative data to measure program performance. Rev Econ Stat 89:761–783

OECD (2008) Education at a glance. Paris

OECD (2015) ISCED 2011 operational manual-guidelines for classifying national education programmes and related qualifications. OECD Publishing, Paris

Pischke J-S, von Wachter T (2008) Zero Returns to compulsory schooling in Germany: evidence and interpretation. Rev Econ Stat 90:592–598

Pohl S, Steiner P, Eisermann J, Soellner R, Cook T (2009) Unbiased causal inference from an observational study: results of a within-study comparison. Educ Eval Policy Anal 31:463–479

Reyes L, Rodríguez J, Urzúa S (2016) Heterogeneous economic returns to postsecondary degrees: evidence from Chile. J Hum Resour 51:416–460

Rosenbaum P, Rubin D (1983) The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects. Biometrika 70:41–55

Rosenbaum P, Rubin D (1985) Constructing a control group using multivariate matched sampling methods that incorporate the propensity score. Am Stat 39:33–38

Rubin D (1973) Matching to remove bias in observational studies. Biometrics 29:159–184

Ryan P (2001) The school-to-work transition: a cross-national perspective. J Econ Lit 39:34–92

Rzepka S (2018) Labor market returns to college education with vocational qualifications. Educ Econ 26:411–431

Schönberg U (2007) Testing for asymmetric employer learning. J Labor Econ 25:651–692

Shadish WR, Clark MH, Steiner P (2008) Can nonrandomized experiments yield accurate answers? A randomized experiment comparing random to nonrandom assignment. J Am Stat Assoc 103:1334–1344

Smith J, Todd P (2005) Does matching overcome LaLonde’s critique of non-experimental estimators? J Econom 125:305–353

Soskice D (1994) Reconciling markets and institutions: the German apprenticeship system. In: Lynch LM (ed) Training and the private sector: international comparisons. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 26–60

Stenberg A, Westerlund O (2015) The long-term earnings consequences of general vs. specific training of the unemployed. IZA J Eur Labor Stud 4:22

Stuart E (2010) Matching methods for causal inference: a review and a look forward. Stat Sci Rev J Inst Math Stat 25:1

Tuor S, Backes-Gellner U (2010) Risk-return trade-offs to complete educational paths: vocational, academic and mixed. Int J Manpow 31:495–519

Verhaest D, Baert S (2018) The effects of workplace learning in higher education on employment and match quality: is there an early-career trade-off? Empir Econ 55:1229–1270

von Wachter T, Bender S (2006) In the right place at the wrong time: the role of firms and luck in Young Workers’ careers. Am Econ Rev 96:1679–1705

Winkelmann R (1996) Employment prospects and skill acquisition of apprenticeship-trained workers in Germany. Ind Labor Relat Rev 49:658–672

Wolter S, Ryan P (2011) Apprenticeship. Handb Econ Educ 3:521–576

Wolter A, Banscherus U, Kamm C, Otto A, Spexard A (2014) Durchlässigkeit zwischen beruflicher und akademischer Bildung als mehrstufiges Konzept: Bilanz und Perspektiven. Beiträge zur Hochschulforschung 36:8–39

Zilic I (2018) General versus vocational education: lessons from a quasi-experiment in Croatia. Econ Educ Rev 62:1–11

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Hubert Ertl, Christopher Jepsen, Sylvi Rzepka, Stefan Speckesser, Gesine Stephan, and Arne Warnke for helpful comments on earlier versions of the paper.

There is no external funding received for this research.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

University of Würzburg, Chair for Human Resource Management and Organisation, Sanderring 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany

Veronika Lukesch & Thomas Zwick

Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, Germany

Thomas Zwick

Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), Maastricht, The Netherlands

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

Both authors contributed by equal parts to this paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Zwick .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

There are no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

See Table 3 and Figs. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 .

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Lukesch, V., Zwick, T. Does tertiary vocational education beat academic education? A matching analysis of young men’s earnings developments. Empirical Res Voc Ed Train 12 , 16 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-020-00104-w

Download citation

Received : 02 December 2019

Accepted : 10 November 2020

Published : 16 November 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-020-00104-w

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

  • Tertiary education
  • Vocational education
  • Academic education
  • Earnings development
  • Propensity score matching

vocation education essay

InfinityLearn logo

Essay on Vocational Education for Children and Students in English

vocation education essay

Table of Contents

Vocational Education Essay: Vocational Education is the skill-based training provided to students through diverse courses available in several career fields such as health care, banking and finance, computer technology, trade, tourism and so on. The education imparted to students focuses more on providing manual training and giving more practical exposure.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Every industry or company today is looking for skilled and efficient employees. Vocational education helps students apply their learning practices and expertise in a specific field. It also gives opportunities to students unable to cope with academic education. Vocational educational organizations generate skilled manpower to meet the job demands. Here are essays on Vocational Education of varying word lengths to help you with the topic in your exam/school assignments. You can select any Vocational Education essay as per your need and requirement:

Long and Short Essay on Vocational Education in English

Below we have provided long and short Essays on Vocational Education of varying lengths in English.

This Vocational Education Essay will let you understand the meaning and significance of vocational education and acknowledge its importance.

After going through the essays, you will know how vocational education plays a significant role in the life of youths and also in the overall development of the nation.

Essay on Vocational Education – Essay 1 (200 words)

Vocational education is the education that trains people to work in various jobs such as technician, trade and craft. It refers to the career and technical education that prepares students for a specific career. The vocational programs provide students with hands-on instruction and training that leads them to certification or a diploma. Vocational schools provide vocational training on post-secondary, higher, and further education levels. Students can choose certificate or diploma programs, apprenticeship and associate degree programs.

Earlier, most vocational training programs took place in a classroom or on the job site professionals in the field. However, online vocational education has now become popular and easy for students to learn various skills from professionals. Earlier the training was also limited to certain jobs like welding, carpentry, and automotive services. Still, with the changing times, training has expanded to various job functions like tourism management, food and beverage management, computer network management, retail training, paralegal management and so on.

Vocational education focuses more on providing practical skills and hands-on instruction in a particular job. Students get a real working environment during vocational programs. Vocational education is evolving prominently and generates skilled and trained workers for specific jobs.

Essay on Vocational Education in India – Essay 2 (300 words)

Introduction

Vocational education, also known as career and technical education, enables students to gain specialized skills and training in various fields such as trade, craft or technical. Vocational education involves less academic learning and basically focuses on manual or practical activities and training. The students develop expertise in specific techniques or technology.

Vocational Education in India

Vocational education aims to prepare students for a particular profession, trade or vocation. These courses are specifically designed to make students job ready. The employability of graduates in India has become a major concern. Only 25% of the graduates from all streams are considered to have employable skills, indicating the need for high-quality vocational education to train the youth for Jobs. Vocational training is important to supplement formal education and improve youth employment in India.

There is a growing need for specialist and skill-based employees in India. Vocational education will help job-seekers get employment and meet the need for skilled professionals in India. It is important that sufficient training and skills are provided to the youth. The youth’s skill set in India plays a vital role in the country’s growth. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) India offers various vocational courses at the senior secondary level and secondary level.

The courses are diverse and can be classified into various categories: commerce, home science, hospitality and tourism, health and paramedical, engineering, agriculture and others. These courses are offered in association with organizations such as NIFT, ROLTA, MED, WWI, NHMIT, etc., to train and upgrade the professional skills of youth. The students can choose from the diverse courses available as per their interest to gain skills in their chosen field.

Vocational education will provide tremendous opportunities to youth in various sectors. It will help build a skilled and educated workforce that is the need of the hour.

Essay on Importance of Vocational Education – Essay 3 (400 words)

Vocational education refers to the training that emphasizes skills and knowledge needed for a specific job, trade or craft. Vocational education is provided for various job functions in various sectors like tourism, food and beverage, computer networking, banking and finance, fashion designing, property management, etc. Students can choose from diverse courses available as per their skills and interest.

Importance of Vocational Education

  • In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, it is really hard to find a good Job. Vocational education is an advantage as VET programs offer practical skills and hands-on training that trains students for specific jobs. The students who develop practical skills for a particular field are more confident and perform better in interviews and jobs than those with a general academic background.
  • Vocational education, also popular as technical or career education, provides a clear edge in career goals as it provides expertise and knowledge in a specific discipline. The courses prepare them for a specific job. Vocational education programs are of short duration and are less expensive than conventional academic educational programs. They eliminate the disadvantages of rote learning and give a practical learning experience that makes the student’s job ready.
  • Not only are the students at an advantage, but there is also a growing need for skilled labor. High-quality vocational education and skilled manpower is prerequisite for economic development. The graduates with conventional academic learning and degrees are not job-ready and mostly lack the skills to meet job expectations. There is a high demand for skilled manpower in various industries worldwide. High priority is given to skilled manpower globally. Some of the profiles for which skilled manpower is in high demand worldwide include computer specialists, nuclear technicians, fashion designers, electricians, cardiovascular technologists and web-developer.
  • Vocational education helps youth to acquire practical experience and learn modern methods of diverse vocations. Students are now aware of their skills and choose their careers wisely. Vocational education prepares students to take up highly rewarding jobs and helps them become independent at a young age.

With changing times, people have started understanding the importance of vocational education. More skill and knowledge-based jobs will be generated in future. Close cooperation between industries and educational organizations about vocational training is essential to ensure that the education offered is relevant to the market demand and job expectations.

Essay on Growing Need for Vocational Education – Essay 4 (500 words)

Vocational education is the course of study that prepares students for handling the jobs practically rather than understanding their aspects theoretically. Vocational education is mostly non-academic and is related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. Vocational education is gaining importance, and people are opting for such courses online and offline to gain skills in their interests. Traditionally, vocational education focused on a few trades like welding and automobile mechanic and was mainly enrolled by lower social classes.

Growing Need for Vocational Education

With the development of our nation, there is a growing need for skilled manpower, and vocational education prepares students for a job. Demand for skilled labour has increased both in the business and government sectors. There has been a speedy increase in vocational education owing to the increasing demand for skilled professionals. Vocational education has immensely diversified over the period. Demand for skilled professionals has increased in various industries such as tourism, information technology, banking and finance, retail management, BPO, hospitality and traditional crafts. Various institutes provide vocational training to the youth to make them job-ready.

Present-day education puts more emphasis on rote learning and not on practical work. There is a lot of pressure on students due to the rise in competition. Vocational learning allows students to choose the career of their interest, gain practical knowledge and get groomed.

In India, there is a disparity between the skills of educated youth and demand in various sectors. There is a greater need for a skilled workforce to meet job expectations. Vocational education can train students to meet job expectations. To meet the job demand and expectations, students should be motivated to take up vocational education.

Students in India are encouraged to score well and seek admission to a good college, whether it imparts vocational training. Students should get the opportunity to pursue their careers per their interests and according to their calibre rather than pushing them to become doctors and engineers even if they don’t have the required mindset. They must seek admission in courses that offer vocational training and don’t focus solely on the theoretical part. The absence of skilled professionals in various technical fields is costing us economically.

Some students may come as a surprise package when they get the opportunity to be trained and enhance their natural skills and talents. They become highly successful in their field and fetch good pay packages. The good news is the growing demand and scope for diverse skills globally. Sometimes the grades on mark sheets don’t matter. Most of the students can be good when it comes to displaying their practical skills. It is seen that many students who are not very good academically in their school prove to be good employees and attain great heights professionally.

There is a growing need for vocational education to develop skilled professionals in all occupations for our country’s social and economic growth. Students with low academic performance should not be discouraged by their parents and society. There are diverse options for students, and they should be free to choose whatever their interests and skills lead them.

Essay on Benefits of Vocational Education – Essay 5 (600 words)

Vocational education is skill-based education in a specific field which enables students to acquire training and practical skills in a particular trade, vocation or occupation. It is also known as career and technical education, as students develop skills and expertise in a specific discipline through manual practice. Vocational courses focus more on the application-based study.

Diverse job functions from various sectors, such as banking and finance, food and beverage, tourism, computer network, designing, healthcare, cosmetology, skilled trades etc., are included in vocational education.

Benefits of Vocational Training

  • Job Ready: Vocational education makes student employment ready. It provides students required skills and training for a particular job, such as Interior Designing, Fashion Designing, Computer Networking, etc. Along with the classroom instructions, students also get practical knowledge. This makes the students job-ready and experts in their field.
  • Low Education Cost: Private and Government institutes provide vocational education, and such courses’ fees are quite economical. Vocational courses are an easy and cheaper alternative for students who do not want to take a three-year degree course and cannot afford the hostel fees, commuting and added costs. Many vocational courses are as good as degree courses and employ students. A vocational course is the best option for those who cannot manage the expenses of a college degree.
  • Easy Employment: Vocational training makes it easy for students to find employment opportunities. There is a growing need for skilled and efficient manpower in various sectors. The students with vocational training have an advantage over the college pass outs. Students with vocational training are preferred as they possess the right skills, education and knowledge for the job. Thus, easy and fast employment is a major advantage that students with vocational training have. Vocational education and skills can also provide students with employment opportunities in foreign countries.
  • Career Advancement: Vocational education is the best alternative for people who already have a job and want to acquire further skills to enhance their careers. The course duration is quite less than the degree courses but the skills imparted are quite important and useful. Professionals can improve their career prospects and be successful. Students who are less interested in academic studies or dropouts can choose from the diverse courses available and enhance their skills in the field of their interest. Vocational education can help students make successful careers.
  • Meet Market Demand: Employers in various industries rely on training organizations to impart knowledge and skills to the workers. These training organizations need to train the workers and ensure that their services meet the needs of employers and the students are job ready. Students who pursue vocational courses at the college level do not require undergoing such training programs. This saves the company cost spent on training.
  • Economic Development: There is a growing need for skilled professionals in various sectors across the world. The existence of a skilled workforce is beneficial to society and also for the economic development of the nation. There would be a lesser need to import workforce from foreign countries at higher wages.
  • Job Satisfaction: There are also various indirect benefits. For instance, vocational education boosts the student’s confidence, and they are well-groomed and trained, making them eligible for specific jobs. It also increases job satisfaction and results in high productivity.

Students who complete VET programs perform better in jobs than those with mere academic education. Vocational education is an asset to our economy. There is a high demand for skilled labour in the business and government sectors. Vocational education benefits students, employers, society and the nation.

Long Essay on Vocational Education – Essay 6 (800 Words)

Vocational Education refers to an education preparing students for specific industrial or commercial engagements. It provides an option other than traditional professional courses like engineering and medicine. Vocational training prepares interested students for specific trades or occupations. It is an opportunity for someone who doesn’t want to or couldn’t enroll in professional courses for some reason or another.

Skilled instructors give students hands-on training and experience in their specific subject. Every year some new fields are included in vocational training courses, providing the students with a good number of options to choose from.

Types of Vocational Programs

Vocational Education prepares students for industrial or commercial employment. There are many options available through which vocational training could be acquired. Many trade institutes offer vocational training courses, or else in-job training programs for specific fields of interest could acquire them.

Many vocational courses have been integrated into the syllabus of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), a national-level board of education in India controlled by the Government of India. Some of the most opted among these vocational courses include – Accountancy and Auditing, Marketing and Salesmanship, Banking, Business Administration, Electrical Technology, Automobile Technology, Civil Engineering and IT Application etc. Any student can opt for the subject of their choice at the senior secondary level.

Where is Vocational Education Provided?

For the convenience of students and keeping in mind the interests of working professionals, the government of India provides vocational training in both full-time and part-time courses. Full-time training is provided through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), while State Technical Education offers part-time courses. Thus, Polytechnics – privately owned ITIs or Government owned ITIs are the best place to acquire vocational training.

Students can also opt for the subject they want to be trained in at the senior secondary level.

Advantages of Vocational Education

Vocational Education is an unconventional method to generate a skilled workforce having practical knowledge and experience. These students are trained in real practical situations, making them instantly employable in their trades.

It requires less time than professional courses and is much cheaper to pursue. At a relatively young age and in considerably less time, a vocational student learns the skills of the trade and gains practical working experience, securing his career and growth.

The availability and quality of vocational education in a country determines its industrial and economic progress. Industries get young and skilled employees with hands-on experience and probably long commitments. This is a win-win situation for the industry/company.

Being cheaper to pursue and with no age bar, vocational education provides an option to students from economically weaker sections or for the elders who never had the opportunity to study. Therefore, vocational education reduces unemployment and hence the poverty graph of a nation. More skilled students mean more employability quotient and more jobs, resulting in the nation’s overall growth.

Schemes Offered by the Government of India

The Government of India offers many schemes to provide vocational training to the underprivileged or economically backward sections. Some of the most significant such schemes are given below.

1) Udaan: This program is specifically designed for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The program has a five-year duration and offers vocational training and employment in Information Technology, BPO and retail.

2) Polytechnics: Polytechnics are a kind of Industrial Training Institute present in almost all states of India. It provides three-year diploma courses in various disciplines of Engineering and computer science.

3) Industrial Training Institutes: Industrial Training Institutes offer vocational training in various engineering and non-engineering disciplines. ITIs are managed by the Directorate General of Training and Employment, Government of India.

4) NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission): Launched in June 2011, NRLM is specifically targeted at BPL (Below Poverty Line) group. It aims to provide vocational training in various trades to people below the poverty line, differently able and women, to make them self-employable.

5) Craftsmen Training Scheme: This scheme provides vocational training in various engineering disciplines as well as in the fields of paramedical, agriculture and commerce etc. The Directorate of Vocational Education and Training governs it.

Vocational Education is nothing less than a blessing for those who cannot go for professional courses for some reason or another. It provides a wonderful and affordable opportunity to acquire technical skills and improve their employability. A quality vocational education provided by skilled trainers will generate a young and efficient workforce, contributing immensely to the nation’s progress. It also provides an opportunity to generate self-employment for people below the poverty line who are both able and women. Such people are taught skills to start their own business in a trade of their choice.

More on Education:

  • Article on the Importance of Education in our Life
  • Article on the Importance of Education in Society
  • Article on the Importance of Education for Children
  • Article on the Importance of Education for Women

Related Information:

  • Importance of Education Essay
  • Speech on the Value of Education
  • Speech on the Importance of Education
  • Slogans on Education
  • Paragraph on the Importance of Education
  • Paragraph on Education

Related content

Call Infinity Learn

Talk to our academic expert!

Language --- English Hindi Marathi Tamil Telugu Malayalam

Get access to free Mock Test and Master Class

Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material

Offer Ends in 5:00

The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey

How to Write an Essay on a Vocation

How to Write a Dissertation Summary

How to Write a Dissertation Summary

Writing an essay on a certain career or vocation is similar to writing essays on other subjects; the only difference is that the subject of this essay will be on a certain type of career or profession. Formulating a research question or thesis statement is an important part of writing an essay of any kind.

Thesis Statement

Before beginning to draft an essay of any kind, it is important to draft a thesis statement that will guide your paper. For example, if you were writing an essay on the benefits of being a doctor, your thesis could read "Medical doctors enjoy many professional perks, but by far the best things about being a doctor are the lives you save, the people you help and the lessons you learn." This thesis statement will help you to organize your thoughts and research the given vocation and its benefits.

Unless you are working in the field you are writing the essay about, you will have to conduct some research. There are several different sources that talk about various vocations so there is no lack of information. Pay particular attention to the validity of your sources. Try to use primary sources as much as possible, perhaps a current career professional or scholarly article about the vocation. Steering clear of less than stellar references, such as personal opinions in an online forum, will make your essay more credible.

Supporting Details

While your thesis statement is the skeleton that provides structure to your essay, the body paragraphs and supporting details are the flesh and sinew. Using the sources from your research, flesh out your paragraphs with relevant facts and evidence. For example, in the thesis example on doctors, the first body paragraph in your essay might be about the lives a doctor saves because this is the first detail mentioned in the thesis. Citing examples and statistics of how many lives an average doctor saves in the course of his career would be an effective supporting detail.

Conclusions

Just because you’ve clearly addressed each point of your thesis and crafted effective body paragraphs doesn’t mean you’re done. Many students skimp on conclusions and leave readers dissatisfied. Use your conclusion to wrap up any loose ends you created in your essay as well as mention any further issues raised as a result of your research.

Related Articles

How to Write a Report about a Famous Person

How to Write a Report about a Famous Person

How to Write a Good Personality Essay

How to Write a Good Personality Essay

How to Make a Strong Argument in an Essay

How to Make a Strong Argument in an Essay

Types of Introductions in a Research Paper

Types of Introductions in a Research Paper

How Do Reflective Essays Differ From Analytical Essays?

How Do Reflective Essays Differ From Analytical Essays?

What Is the Credibility Statement in Writing?

What Is the Credibility Statement in Writing?

How to Write an Essay for an Internship

How to Write an Essay for an Internship

How to write a humanities paper

How to write a humanities paper

  • Ten Tips for Writing an Essay

Stacy Alleyne is a certified English teacher with a BA in English and graduate work in English, education, journalism and law. She has written numerous articles and her own dining column for the "Gazette."

Beyond the bus: Five key challenges in US student transportation

Every day, the US student transportation system takes more than 24 million K–12 students to and from school. 1 “Table 236.90. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929-30 through 2018-19,” National Center for Education Statistics, January 2022. That’s nearly half of all students in US public schools.

There’s no question this is an essential service. US student transportation serves as a vital tool for districts tackling chronic absenteeism (defined as missing 15 or more days in a school year). 2 “Chronic absenteeism in the nation’s schools,” US Department of Education, updated January 2019. A major barrier to student engagement, chronic absenteeism affects 14.7 million students from diverse backgrounds and has doubled overall since the COVID-19 pandemic. 3 Population breakdown of students experiencing chronic absenteeism: White (5.2 million students), followed by Latino (5.0 million) and Black (2.9 million), with smaller but proportionally more elevated rates of absence with Pacific Islander and Native American students in addition to large numbers of students with disabilities (2.7 million) and English learners (1.9 million). See “All hands on deck: Today’s chronic absenteeism requires a comprehensive district response and strategy,” Attendance Works, November 17, 2023; Emma Dorn, Bryan Hancock, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, and Ellen Viruleg, “COVID-19 and education: An emerging K-shaped recovery,” McKinsey, December 14, 2021.

But it’s also a service with challenges. In recent years, districts have struggled to improve student experience and safety, navigate driver shortages, optimize operations, attain net-zero-emission targets, and meet the complex transportation requirements of high-need students. Addressing these issues requires consistent investment from school systems.

This article digs into these challenges and offers examples of innovative solutions that could help districts make the most of their investments in transportation. Strategic insights from innovative technologies and partnerships could help district leaders, state and federal agencies, and student transportation providers navigate these challenges more effectively in the coming decade.

To read the full article, download the PDF here .

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

COVID-19 and education: The pandemic school year has ended, but the effects of unfinished learning linger

COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learning

Children from diverse racial identities, who appear to be in middle school, are creating a mechanized forklift type of machine on wheels in a mechanics class with a teacher helping them.

Advancing racial equity in US pre-K–12 education

An elementary school girl sits with a friend at a desk in their classroom and talks cheerfully during class.

Stimulus funding deadlines loom: How are K–12 schools adjusting their priorities?

IndiaCelebrating.com

Vocational Education Essay

Vocational Education is the skill based training provided to students through diverse courses available in several career fields such as health care, banking and finance, computer technology, trade, tourism and so on. The education imparted to students focuses more on providing manual training and giving more practical exposure.

Every industry or company today is looking for skilled and efficient employees. Vocational education helps students apply their learning practically and expertise in a specific field. It also gives opportunity to students who are unable to cope with academic education. Vocational educational organizations generate skilled manpower to meet the job demands. Here are essays on Vocational Education of varying word lengths to help you with the topic in your exam/school assignments. You can select any Vocational Education essay as per your need and requirement:

Long and Short Essay on Vocational Education in English

Below we have provided long and short Essay on Vocational Education of varying lengths in English .

These Vocational Education Essay will let you understand the meaning and significance of vocational education and acknowledge its importance.

After going through the essays you will know how vocational education plays a significant role in life of youths and also in overall development of the nation.

Essay on Vocational Education – Essay 1 (200 words)

Vocational education is the education that trains people to work in various jobs such as technician, trade and craft. It refers to the career and technical education that allows students to get ready for specific career. The vocational programs provide students with hands on instruction and training that leads them to certification or a diploma. Vocational schools provide vocational training on post secondary level, higher education level, and further education. Students can choose certificate or diploma programs, apprenticeship and associate degree programs.

Earlier, most of the vocational training programs took place in classroom or on the job site from professionals in the field, however the online vocational education has now become popular and an easy option for students to learn various skills from professionals. Earlier the training was also limited to certain jobs like welding, carpentry, automotive services, but with the changing times training has expanded to wide range of job functions like tourism management, food and beverage management, computer network management, retail training, paralegal management and so on.

Vocational education focuses more on providing practical skills and hands on instructions in the particular job. Students get real working environment during vocational programs. Vocational education is evolving prominently and generates skilled and trained workers for specific jobs.

Essay on Vocational Education in India – Essay 2 (300 words)

Introduction

Vocational education also known as career and technical education enables students to gain specialized skills and training in various fields such as trade, craft or technical field. Vocational education involves less academic learning and basically focuses on manual or practical activities and training. The students develop expertise in specific techniques or technology.

Vocational Education in India

Vocational education aims to prepare students for a particular profession, trade or vocation. These courses are specifically designed to make students job ready. Employability of the graduates in India has become a major concern. Only 25% of the graduates from all streams are considered to have employable skills, indicating the need for high quality vocational education to train the youth for Jobs. Vocational training is important to supplement formal education and improve the employment of youth in India.

There is a growing need of specialist and skill based employees in India. Vocational education will help job-seekers get employment and meet the need of skilled professionals in India. It is important that sufficient training and skills are provided to the youth. The skill set of youth in India plays vital role in the growth of the country. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) India is offering various vocational courses at senior secondary level and secondary level.

The courses are diverse and can be classified into various categories such as commerce, home science, hospitality and tourism, health and para-medical, engineering, agriculture and others. These courses are offered in association with organizations such as NIFT, ROLTA, MED, WWI, NHMIT, etc to train and upgrade the professional skills of youth. The students can choose from the diverse courses available as per their interest to gain skills in the chosen field.

Vocational education will provide tremendous opportunities to youth in various sectors. It will help build skilled and educated workforce that is the need of the hour.

Essay on Importance of Vocational Education – Essay 3 (400 words)

Vocational education refers to the training that emphasizes on skills and knowledge needed for specific job, trade or craft. Vocational education is provided for wide range of job functions in various sectors like tourism, food and beverage, computer networking, banking and finance, fashion designing, property management and many more. Students can choose from diverse courses available as per their skills and interest.

Importance of Vocational Education

  • In today’s fast paced life and competitive world it is really hard to find a good Job. Vocational education is an advantage as VET programs offer practical skills and hands on training that trains students for specific jobs. The students who develop practical skills for particular field are more confident and perform better in interviews as well as jobs than the students with general academic background.
  • Vocational education also popular as technical or career education provides clear edge in career goals as it provides expertise and knowledge in specific discipline. The courses prepare them for specific job. Vocational education programs are of short duration and are less expensive than the conventional academic educational programs. They eliminate the disadvantages of rote-learning and give practical learning experience that makes the students job ready.
  • Not only are the students at advantage but there is also the growing need of skilled labor. High quality vocational education and skilled manpower is prerequisite for economic development. The graduates with conventional academic learning and degrees are not job ready and mostly lack the skills to meet the job expectations. There is high demand of skilled man power in various industries across the world. High priority is given to skilled manpower globally. Some of the profiles for which skilled manpower is high in demand across the world include computer specialist, nuclear technician, fashion designers, electricians, cardiovascular technologist and web-developer.
  • Vocational education helps youth to acquire practical experience and learn modern methods of diverse vocations. Students are now aware of their skills and choose their careers wisely. Vocational education prepares students to take up highly rewarding jobs and help them become independent at young age.

With changing times people have started understanding the importance of vocational education. More skill and knowledge based jobs will be generated in future. Close cooperation between industries and educational organizations with regard to vocational training is essential to ensure that the education offered is relevant to the market demand and job expectations.

Essay on Growing Need for Vocational Education – Essay 4 (500 words)

Vocational education is the course of study that prepares students for handling the jobs practically rather than understanding their aspects theoretically. Vocational education is mostly non-academic in nature and is related to specific trade, occupation or vocation. Vocational education is gaining importance and people are opting for such courses online and offline to gain skills in the field of their interest. Traditionally, vocational education focused on few trades like welder and automobile mechanic and was mainly enrolled by lower social classes.

Growing Need of Vocational Education

With the development of our nation, there is a growing need of skilled manpower and vocational education prepares students for a job. Demand for skilled labour has increased both in business and government sectors. There has been a speedy increase in vocational education owing to the increasing demand of skilled professionals. Vocational education has immensely diversified over the period of time. Demand for skilled professionals has increased in various industries such as tourism, information technology, banking and finance, retail management, BPO, hospitality and traditional crafts. There are various institutes that provide vocational training to the youth to make them job-ready.

Present day education puts more emphasis on rote-learning and not on the practical work. There is a lot of pressure on students due to rise in competition. Vocational learning allows students to choose the career of his/her interest, gain practical knowledge and get groomed.

In India there is a disparity between skills of educated youth and demand in various sectors. There is greater need of skilled manpower that can meet the job expectations. Vocational education can train students to meet the job expectations. In order to meet the job demand and expectations students should be motivated to take up vocational education.

Students in India are encouraged to score well and seek admission in a good college whether it imparts vocational training or not. Students should get the opportunity to pursue the career as per their interests as well as according to their calibre rather than pushing them to become doctors and engineers even if they don’t have the required mindset. They must seek admission in courses that offer vocational training and don’t focus solely on theoretical part. The absence of skilled professionals in various technical fields is costing us economically.

Some students may come as a surprise package when they get opportunity to be trained and enhance their natural skills and talents. They become highly successful in their field and fetch good pay packages. The good news is that there is growing demand and scope for diverse skills globally. Sometimes the grades on mark sheets really don’t matter. Most of the students can really be good when it comes to displaying their practical skills. It is seen that many students who are not very good academically in their school prove to be good employees and attain great heights professionally.

There is a growing need of vocational education to develop skilled professionals in all occupations for the social and economic growth of our country. Students who have low academic performance should not be discouraged by the parents and society. There are diverse options open for the students these days and they should be free to choose whatever their interests and skills lead them to.

Essay on Benefits of Vocational Education – Essay 5 (600 words)

Vocational education is the skill based education in a specific field which enables students to acquire training and practical skills in a specific trade, vocation or occupation. It is also known as career and technical education as students develop skills and expertise in a specific discipline through manual practice. Vocational courses focus more on application based study.

Diverse job functions from various sectors such as banking and finance, food and beverage, tourism, computer network, designing, healthcare, cosmetology, skilled trades etc, are included in vocational education.

Benefits of Vocational Training

  • Job Ready: Vocational education makes a student employment ready. It provides students required skills and training for a particular job such as Interior Designing, Fashion Designing, Computer Networking, etc. Along with the classroom instructions students also get practical knowledge. This makes the students job-ready and experts in their field.
  • Low Education Cost: Private and Government institutes provide vocational education and the fees for such courses are quite economic. Vocational courses are easy and cheaper alternative for students who do not want to take a three year degree course and cannot afford the hostel fees, commuting and added costs. Many vocational courses are as good as degree courses and provide employment to the students. Vocational course is the best option for those who cannot manage the expenses for college degree.
  • Easy Employment: Vocational training makes it easy for the students to find employment opportunities. There is a growing need of skilled and efficient manpower for jobs in various sectors. The students with vocational training have advantage over the college pass outs. The students with vocational training are preferred as they possess right skills, education and knowledge for the job. Thus, easy and fast employment is a major advantage that students with vocational training have. Vocational education and skills can also provide students employment opportunities in foreign countries.
  • Career Advancement: For people who already have a job and want to acquire further skills to enhance their career, vocational education is the best alternative. The duration of the course is quite less compared to the degree courses but the skills imparted are quite important and useful. Professionals can improve their career prospects and be successful. Students who are less interested in academic studies or the drop outs can choose from the diverse courses available and enhance their skills in the field of their interest. Vocational education can help students make a successful career.
  • Meet Market Demand: Employers in various industries rely on training organizations to impart knowledge and skills to the workers. These training organizations need to train the workers and ensure that their services meet the needs of employers and the students are job ready. Students who pursue vocational courses at college level do not require undergoing such training programs. This saves the company cost spent in training.
  • Economic Development: There is a growing need of skilled professionals in various sectors across the world. The existence of skilled manpower is beneficial to the society and also for the economic development of the nation. There would be lesser need to import manpower from foreign countries at higher wages.
  • Job Satisfaction: There are also various indirect benefits. For instance, vocational education boosts confidence of the students and they are well groomed and trained that makes them eligible for specific jobs. It also increases the job satisfaction and results in high productivity.

Students who successfully complete VET programs perform better in jobs compared to the students with mere academic education. Vocational education is an asset to our economy. There is high demand of skilled labour both in business and government sectors. Vocational education benefits students, employers, society and nation.

Long Essay on Vocational Education – Essay 6 (800 Words)

Vocational Education refers to an education preparing the students for specific industrial or commercial engagements. It provides an option other than the traditional forms of professional courses like engineering and medical. Vocational training prepares interested students for specific trade or occupation. It is an opportunity for someone who doesn’t want to or couldn’t enroll in professional courses for some reason or the other.

Students are given hands on training and experience in their specific subject, by skilled instructors. Every year some new fields are included in vocational training courses, providing the students a good number of options to choose from.

Types of Vocational Programs

Vocational Education prepares students for industrial or commercial employment. There are many options available through which vocational training could be acquired. Many trade institutes offer vocational training courses or else it could be acquired by in job training programs for specific fields of interest.

Many vocational courses have been integrated into the syllabus of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education); a national level board of education in India controlled by the Government of India. Some of the most opted among these vocational courses include – Accountancy and Auditing, Marketing and Salesmanship, Banking, Business Administration, Electrical Technology, Automobile Technology, Civil Engineering and IT Application etc. Any student can opt for the subject of his/her choice in senior secondary level.

Where is Vocational Education Provided?

For the convenience of students as well as keeping in mind the interests of working professionals, the government of India provides vocational training in both full time and part time courses. The full time training is provided through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), while part time courses are offered by the State Technical Education. Thus, Polytechnics – privately owned ITIs or Government owned ITIs are the best place to acquire vocational training.

Students also have the option for opting for the specific subject they want to be trained in, at senior secondary level.

Advantages of Vocational Education

Vocational Education is an unconventional method to generate skilled workforce having practical knowledge and experience. These students are trained in real practical situations, making them instantly employable in their specific trade.

It requires less time than professional courses and is much cheaper to pursue. At a relatively young age and in considerably less time, a vocational student learns the skills of the trade and gains practical working experience, securing his career and growth.

The availability and quality of vocational education in a country determines its industrial and economic progress. Industries get young and skilled employees with hands on experience and probably long commitments. This is in fact a win win situation for the industry/company.

Being cheaper to pursue and with no age bar, vocational education provides an option to the students from economically weaker section or for the elders who never had the opportunity to study. Therefore, vocational education reduces unemployment and hence poverty graph of a nation. More skilled students mean more employability quotient and more jobs, thereby resulting in overall growth of the nation.

Schemes Offered by the Government of India

The Government of India offers many schemes to provide vocational training to the underprivileged or economically backward sections. Some of the most significant of such schemes are given below.

This program is specifically designed for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The program has five year duration and offers vocational training and employment in the fields of Information Technology, BPO and retail.

2) Polytechnics

Polytechnics are a kind of Industrial Training Institute present in almost all states of India. It provides three year diploma courses in various discipline of Engineering and computer science.

3) Industrial Training Institutes

Industrial Training Institutes offer vocational training in various engineering and non engineering disciplines. ITIs are managed by the Directorate General of Training and Employment, Government of India.

4) NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission)

Launched in June 2011, NRLM is specifically targeted at BPL (Below Poverty Line) group. It is aimed at providing vocational training in various trades to the people residing below poverty line, differently able and women, in order to make them self employable.

5) Craftsmen Training Scheme

This scheme provides vocational training in various engineering disciplines as well as in the fields of paramedical, agriculture and commerce etc. It is governed by the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.

Vocational Education is nothing less than a blessing for those who cannot go for professional courses for some reason or the other. It provides a wonderful and affordable opportunity to acquire technical skills and improve their employability factor. A quality vocational education provided by skilled trainers will generate young and efficient workforce, which will contribute immensely to the progress of the nation. It also provides an opportunity to generate self employment to the people residing below poverty line, differently able or women. Such people are taught skills to start up their own business in a trade of their choice.

More on Education:

Article on Importance of Education in our Life

Article on Importance of Education in Society

Article on Importance of Education for Children

Article on Importance of Education for Women

Related Information:

Essay on Education

Importance of Education Essay

Speech on Education

Speech on Value of Education

Speech on Importance of Education

Slogans on Importance of Education

Slogans on Education

Paragraph on Importance of Education

Paragraph on Education

Related Posts

Money essay, music essay, education essay, newspaper essay, my hobby essay.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

  • Backchannel
  • Newsletters
  • WIRED Insider
  • WIRED Consulting

Amanda Hoover

Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI

Illustration of four hands holding pencils that are connected to a central brain

Students have submitted more than 22 million papers that may have used generative AI in the past year, new data released by plagiarism detection company Turnitin shows.

A year ago, Turnitin rolled out an AI writing detection tool that was trained on its trove of papers written by students as well as other AI-generated texts. Since then, more than 200 million papers have been reviewed by the detector, predominantly written by high school and college students. Turnitin found that 11 percent may contain AI-written language in 20 percent of its content, with 3 percent of the total papers reviewed getting flagged for having 80 percent or more AI writing. (Turnitin is owned by Advance, which also owns Condé Nast, publisher of WIRED.) Turnitin says its detector has a false positive rate of less than 1 percent when analyzing full documents.

ChatGPT’s launch was met with knee-jerk fears that the English class essay would die . The chatbot can synthesize information and distill it near-instantly—but that doesn’t mean it always gets it right. Generative AI has been known to hallucinate , creating its own facts and citing academic references that don’t actually exist. Generative AI chatbots have also been caught spitting out biased text on gender and race . Despite those flaws, students have used chatbots for research, organizing ideas, and as a ghostwriter . Traces of chatbots have even been found in peer-reviewed, published academic writing .

Teachers understandably want to hold students accountable for using generative AI without permission or disclosure. But that requires a reliable way to prove AI was used in a given assignment. Instructors have tried at times to find their own solutions to detecting AI in writing, using messy, untested methods to enforce rules , and distressing students. Further complicating the issue, some teachers are even using generative AI in their grading processes.

Detecting the use of gen AI is tricky. It’s not as easy as flagging plagiarism, because generated text is still original text. Plus, there’s nuance to how students use gen AI; some may ask chatbots to write their papers for them in large chunks or in full, while others may use the tools as an aid or a brainstorm partner.

Students also aren't tempted by only ChatGPT and similar large language models. So-called word spinners are another type of AI software that rewrites text, and may make it less obvious to a teacher that work was plagiarized or generated by AI. Turnitin’s AI detector has also been updated to detect word spinners, says Annie Chechitelli, the company’s chief product officer. It can also flag work that was rewritten by services like spell checker Grammarly, which now has its own generative AI tool . As familiar software increasingly adds generative AI components, what students can and can’t use becomes more muddled.

Detection tools themselves have a risk of bias. English language learners may be more likely to set them off; a 2023 study found a 61.3 percent false positive rate when evaluating Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams with seven different AI detectors. The study did not examine Turnitin’s version. The company says it has trained its detector on writing from English language learners as well as native English speakers. A study published in October found that Turnitin was among the most accurate of 16 AI language detectors in a test that had the tool examine undergraduate papers and AI-generated papers.

Roku Breach Hits 567,000 Users

Andy Greenberg

The Quest to Map the Inside of the Proton

Charlie Wood

How Israel Defended Against Iran's Drone and Missile Attack

Brian Barrett

The 16 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now

Schools that use Turnitin had access to the AI detection software for a free pilot period, which ended at the start of this year. Chechitelli says a majority of the service’s clients have opted to purchase the AI detection. But the risks of false positives and bias against English learners have led some universities to ditch the tools for now. Montclair State University in New Jersey announced in November that it would pause use of Turnitin’s AI detector. Vanderbilt University and Northwestern University did the same last summer.

“This is hard. I understand why people want a tool,” says Emily Isaacs, executive director of the Office of Faculty Excellence at Montclair State. But Isaacs says the university is concerned about potentially biased results from AI detectors, as well as the fact that the tools can’t provide confirmation the way they can with plagiarism. Plus, Montclair State doesn’t want to put a blanket ban on AI, which will have some place in academia. With time and more trust in the tools, the policies could change. “It’s not a forever decision, it’s a now decision,” Isaacs says.

Chechitelli says the Turnitin tool shouldn’t be the only consideration in passing or failing a student. Instead, it’s a chance for teachers to start conversations with students that touch on all of the nuance in using generative AI. “People don’t really know where that line should be,” she says.

You Might Also Like …

In your inbox: The best and weirdest stories from WIRED’s archive

Jeffrey Epstein’s island visitors exposed by data broker

8 Google employees invented modern AI. Here’s the inside story

The crypto fraud kingpin who almost got away

It's shadow time! How to view the solar eclipse, online and in person

vocation education essay

Steven Levy

Here's How Generative AI Depicts Queer People

Reece Rogers

How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing

Estelle Erasmus

No One Actually Knows How AI Will Affect Jobs

Will Knight

To Build a Better AI Supercomputer, Let There Be Light

IMAGES

  1. Vocational Education Essay

    vocation education essay

  2. Essay On Vocational Education

    vocation education essay

  3. Vocational Education Essay

    vocation education essay

  4. Vocational Education Essay for Students & Children

    vocation education essay

  5. Vocational Education Essay

    vocation education essay

  6. Vocational Education Essay

    vocation education essay

VIDEO

  1. Essay on Co Education in English with quotations

  2. Vocation 101 What is Vocation

  3. An Essay on Education

  4. व्यवसाय शिक्षण विभागातील भरती रखडली|| Directorate of Vocation Education & Training bharti 2023||DVET

  5. Essay On UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

  6. 10 Lines Essay On Swami Vivekanand ji Englishl Essay On National Youth DayI Swami Vivekanandji Essay

COMMENTS

  1. Essay on Vocational Education for Students and Children

    500 Words Essay on Vocational Education. It refers to a skill-based program that enables students to obtain knowledge, training, and practical skills of a specific trade. It is often referred to as technical or career education as it helps students develop skills in a particular discipline. In addition, they focus more on application-based ...

  2. Vocational Education Essay 300, 200, 500 Words

    After going through the essays you will know how vocational education plays a significant role in life of youths and also in overall development of the nation. Essay on Vocational Education - Essay 1 (200 words) Vocational education is the education that trains people to work in various jobs such as technician, trade and craft.

  3. PDF Teaching as Vocation: Reflections and Advice

    "Vocational Education," which has its own, state- specific definition, but rather the lower case "vocational education," or as John Dewey ... ing, ranging from submitting papers purchased online to collaborat-ing with other students during individual examinations. Obviously, many academic fields require that students have a solid ...

  4. Essay on Importance of Vocational Education for Students

    500 Words Essay on Importance of Vocational Education Introduction. Vocational education, also known as technical education, has gained significant attention in today's rapidly evolving job market. It is an education that directly prepares individuals for a specific trade, craft, or career, offering a practical alternative to traditional ...

  5. Vocational Education in the United States of America (U.S.A ...

    Formal education provides an organized, chronological progression of full-time instruction based on a standardized curriculum for individuals from ages 5 to 25 in schools, colleges, and universities. 1 Vocational education, one component of the formal educational system, comprises a chronological set of planned experiences that aim to prepare individuals for employment in industries by ...

  6. Full article: The value of vocational education and training

    The time has come after eight years to pass the editorial baton to new editors. It is fitting therefore that the papers included here should speak to the value of vocational education and training (VET) and VET research. Issues on this theme continue to be raised and debated frequently in most countries, and in almost all (exceptions being the ...

  7. PDF Purpose, Meaning, and Exploring Vocation in Honors Education

    vocational education . Honors scholarship also has recently expanded to consider the ways honors attends to the development of the whole person, specifically through . Exploring vocation 85 the language of what it means to thrive and achieve a high level of wellbe-ing . A recent article suggests that colleges and universities are now measuring

  8. Vocational education in high school: What you need to know

    In a quality vocational program, students take all standardized tests and classes their district requires. This makes them eligible for a standard diploma. As part of your research, ask about job placement and what types of colleges the graduates attend. Vocational education in high school can prepare students for high-quality jobs and for college.

  9. (PDF) Philosophy as (Vocational) Education

    Philosophy as (Vocational) Education. James Garrison. 1990, Educational Theory. See Full PDF. Download PDF. in *Teaching in Unequal Societies*, edited by John Russon, Siby K. George and Pravesh Jung. New Delhi: Bloomsbury, 2020, pp 3-21. Drawing on Dewey's *Democracy and Education*, I argue that education is meaningful only when it is engaged ...

  10. Teaching as Vocation: Reflections and Advice

    Abstract. So you've decided to become a college professor. This means you get to dress up in ancient garb, smiling munificently during graduation at students about to embark on their rewarding careers and lives. And if you are lucky, you get to do this again, and again, and again—in my case, for over 25 years.

  11. PDF Vocational and Career Tech Education in American High Schools: The

    3.3 year's worth (the equivalent of 3.3 year-long, one hour per day courses) of vocational. coursework, equal to about 12% of their 25.5 total credits. On average, students take just. shy of one of these 3.3 vocational credits in an upper level, or work experience course.

  12. Vocational Education Essay

    The first essay is a long essay on Vocational Education of 400-500 words. This long essay about Vocational Education is suitable for students of class 7, 8, 9 and 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants. The second essay is a short essay on Vocational Education of 150-200 words. These are suitable for students and children in class 6 and below.

  13. Vocational Education Essays (Examples)

    Vocational Education. PAGES 3 WORDS 956. vocational education in high school. The review discusses all types of vocational education including agriculture, industrial arts, business, and family & consumer sciences. This paper includes opinions from students, administrators, counselors, parents, and vocational teachers.

  14. Vocationalism and Liberal Education: exploring the tensions

    Vocationalism is distinguished from vocational education and distinctions are drawn between the various senses in which vocationalism or the pursuit of vocational 'relevance' can be understood. The burden of the argument of the essay is that vocationalism, understood as teaching skills in virtue of their putative vocational usefulness or ...

  15. Identity, Vocation, and Calling: College Students' Development Toward

    Identity, Vocation, and Calling: College Students' Development Toward Meaning. An essay on college student identity, vocation, and calling that reviews recent books from the Lilly Endowment's Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation. by Roger D. Wessel. The traditional undergraduate collegiate experience is a transitional phase ...

  16. Essay on Vocational Education

    Vocational Education Essay 10 Lines (100 - 150 Words) 1) The education that aims to prepare students for jobs is termed as vocational education. 2) Vocational education provides more practical knowledge to the students. 3) It is also referred to as career-oriented technical education. 4) Vocational education helps students in opening more job ...

  17. John Dewey s Theory of Vocation

    analyzes in particular his early books and periodical essays, along with his lectures to teachers' organizations, talks before groups of political activists, and seminars at the ... "vocational" education (Anderson and Rucker 2013). Critics have even be-gun to look closely at the character of America's professional classes, arguing

  18. Does tertiary vocational education beat academic education? A matching

    Brunello and Rocco (2017, p. 106) summarize the discussion on differences between the returns to vocational and academic training as follows: "Education economists often point out that individuals with a vocational education face a trade-off between short term benefits and long term costs.In the short term, this type of education facilitates the transition from school to the labour market by ...

  19. Essay on Vocational Education for Children and Students in English

    Vocational Education Essay: Vocational Education is the skill-based training provided to students through diverse courses available in several career fields such as health care, banking and finance, computer technology, trade, tourism and so on. The education imparted to students focuses more on providing manual training and giving more ...

  20. The Benefits of Vocational Education Free Essay Example

    First of all, vocational education in high school focuses on specific training for a career or field. This hands-on training can be helpful in high school as students make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Many vocational high schools provide students with career preparation in health care, computer science, education, business, and any number of highly specialized trades.

  21. How to Write an Essay on a Vocation

    Using the sources from your research, flesh out your paragraphs with relevant facts and evidence. For example, in the thesis example on doctors, the first body paragraph in your essay might be about the lives a doctor saves because this is the first detail mentioned in the thesis. Citing examples and statistics of how many lives an average ...

  22. Vocational Education Essay Examples

    Brittany Stinson Essays. MBA Essays. Special Education Essays. Academic Interests Essays. College Education Essays. Academic Performance Essays. Personal Statement Essays. Write your best essay on Vocational Education - just find, explore and download any essay for free! Examples 👉 Topics 👉 Titles by Samplius.com.

  23. The AGC Education & Research Foundation Announces Kendall Dewey as the

    The AGC Education & Research Foundation Announces Kendall Dewey as the 2024 James L. Allhands Essay Winner Mon, 04/08/2024 - 08:07 Established in his honor, this esteemed competition aims to recognize outstanding student essays that contribute to the advancement of technological, educational, or vocational expertise in the construction industry.

  24. Key challenges in US student transportation services

    Every day, the US student transportation system takes more than 24 million K-12 students to and from school. 1 "Table 236.90. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929-30 through 2018-19," National Center for Education Statistics, January 2022.

  25. U.S. Department of Education Announces $236 Million in Available Grant

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 9, 2024) — The U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration announced $236 million in available discretionary grant funding for model demonstration projects to create a 21st century workforce of youth and adults with disabilities through the transformation of education, career and competitive integrated employment (CIE).

  26. Properly Write Your Degree

    The correct way to communicate your degree to employers and others is by using the following formats: Degree - This is the academic degree you are receiving. Your major is in addition to the degree; it can be added to the phrase or written separately.

  27. Vocational Education Essay

    After going through the essays you will know how vocational education plays a significant role in life of youths and also in overall development of the nation. Essay on Vocational Education - Essay 1 (200 words) Vocational education is the education that trains people to work in various jobs such as technician, trade and craft.

  28. RFP #24-004 Coordination of New York Statewide Systems Advocacy Network

    Attention Potential Bidders: The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) is seeking proposals to select an entity to administer, direct, communicate with, and collect data and report on the activities of up to 15 funded Statewide Systems Advocacy Network (SSAN) Centers. Questions regarding the ...

  29. Ministry of Education National Grade Six Mock Assessment # 1 Social

    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION NATIONAL GRADE SIX MOCK ASSESSMENT # 1 SOCIAL STUDIES PAPER 02 Reading Time: 10 minutes Writing Time: 60 minutes DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO. January 12, 2024 (p.m.) Read these instructions carefully before you attempt to answer the questions. 1. This paper contains six questions.

  30. Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI

    Students have submitted more than 22 million papers that may have used generative AI in the past year, new data released by plagiarism detection company Turnitin shows. A year ago, Turnitin rolled ...